Glimpse
by JustBFree
Summary: In which David Clarke had never been falsely accused and convicted for crimes he did not commit. When the Clarkes return to the Hamptons, Nolan Ross is there to welcome them home.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Fresh off of finishing The Simple Life, I give you Glimpse, my latest Revenge story. The focus is on Nolan and Emily, but rather than the sullen, vengeful Emily we all love so much, I've toyed with the idea of what Emily might have been like if David Clarke had never been taken from her. In this story, she's had a happy childhood, she's vivacious and she might be more than Nolan can handle, but that doesn't mean he won't try! ;)**

* * *

Squinting against the bright morning sun, Nolan Ross made his way up the paved walkway of the small house on the north shore. Compared to many of the newer homes in the area, his own included, the house was tiny. This was no modern mansion, the house was a step above being a cozy beach cottage, eternally charming with its porch swing and breezy bay doors.

Nolan knew that he had the right place, but it had been many years since he'd last been inside this house, even living as close as he did now. Looking at it, dwarfed by the Grayson monstrosity further up the shore, Nolan smiled; fond memories of this house and the man within were stirring, his pulse quickening with anticipation for the reunion.

_It's been a long time_, he thought as he swept the hair out of his eyes. He'd let it grow too long again.

It was interesting to Nolan how events in his life had seemed to come full circle; this was the house where he'd struck the deal that had completely changed the course of his future over a decade ago, and now? Now, it was anyone's guess what was in store for him with this visit to the home of David Clarke.

Nolan bound up the steps and came to the door, knocking a few times. No answer, but there was a car in the driveway and he could see that the lights were on in the kitchen.

His eyes took in the stacked boxes he could see through the windows as he circled the wraparound porch, heading toward the back.

He felt foolish, getting so excited to see the man, but how could he resist?

David Clarke had believed in his dream and had funded bringing it to life. The entire field of American technology had changed because of Nolan's ideas, but without David's investment they would never have been anything more than just scribbles in a notebook.

Nolan owed everything to the man.

They had not seen each other in several years. Outside of the odd e-mail here and there, they had rarely spoken. On hearing that David was finally settling in New York for the summer, and even more surprising, that he had chosen to come back to the Hamptons of all places, Nolan knew he owed the man the respect of a visit in person at the very least.

As he followed the porch and checked each window, he kicked himself, thinking how rude he was to drop in without bringing anything for the occasion. He should have brought a nice bottle of wine or a gift basket or, hell, even a six-pack of Coors would have been better than showing up empty-handed.

_Well, nothing for it now_, Nolan thought. _But he'll never have to pay for drinks at the Stowaway.__  
_

"You dress a little bright for a cat burglar."

Startled, Nolan turned around and found himself face to face with a very pretty, very wet young woman. She stood before him, hands braced on narrow hips, still dripping from the ocean. Blonde hair was slicked back against her head and dark eyes were steady against his; she wore a plain navy swimsuit, a defiantly modest one-piece that left plenty to his imagination. However, when it came to women, Nolan didn't like to imagine - he wanted to _see_.

Despite the scowl on her face, she was still very pretty. He gave her what he thought to be his most charming smile and took a step toward her, offering his hand. "Hi, I'm Nolan. And you are-?"

The girl took a step back as he advanced, but her expression didn't betray any fear. "I'm calling the police unless you tell me what the hell you're doing, peeking in our windows."

His eyes widened. Was she actually accusing him…?

"I'm not a Peeping Tom or anything, I was just-"

"Jesus, Emily, give the poor guy a break! He was only looking for me – am I right?"

Nolan turned around to find David walking toward them. He felt his face split into a smile as the man came closer. "David! I heard the rumors so I came over, I'm glad some Hampton gossip turned out to be true for once."

David came forward and brought Nolan into a hard hug. He clapped the younger man on the back and then pulled away, resting his hands on Nolan's shoulders, his eyes searching the younger man's face. "Nolan Ross. My God, how long has it been?"

Nolan shrugged, still smiling. "A few years, at least."

David laughed and playfully punched Nolan's left arm. "A few years, my ass! It's been much longer than that, look at you - God, the last time I saw you, you were just a scrawny kid with a dream and look at you now."

Nolan laughed. "Yeah, now I'm a scrawny man with a company."

The older man shook his head, "Enjoy that metabolism while you can, soon as you hit forty everything you've ever eaten will come back to haunt you."

"Really? It's a good thing I drink so much, then."

Emily, watching the exchange, had had enough of the two of them acting as if she wasn't even there. "Excuse me!"

David turned to her and laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. This is Nolan, a former client of mine, and Nolan, you've already met my guard dog."

Emily scowled at the both of them. "Whatever, I'm going to change."

David rolled his eyes as Emily stomped past them and went into the house. "Ignore the scowl, she's jet-lagged on top of her usual school stress - makes her mean as all hell. Ten more minutes of that attitude and I'm sending her back to the city so I can enjoy the beach alone. Come on in, when did you get to town?"

Nolan followed David inside the house, his eyes fixed on the long pair of legs that had just disappeared up the stairs. "When did I-? I live here now. Most of the time, anyway."

David moved into the kitchen and took two beers from the fridge, popping the caps and handed a bottle to Nolan. "Living the dream, huh? Sports cars, mansions and a different supermodel every night."

Nolan gave David a half-hearted smile as he took a seat on one of the barstools. If only he knew. "Oh, I have some stories." He cleared his throat, hurriedly changing the subject. "So, what're you doing back in the Hamptons?"

David took a quick swig of his beer. "Well, you remember I used to rent this house when Emily was younger and now that she's graduated I think she deserves the downtime."

"Emily? The girl on the porch?"

David gestured to the stairs, "Yes, the charming young lady who threatened you with the police. Emily is my daughter, you remember Amanda? She just goes by her middle name nowadays."

Taking a sip of beer, Nolan tried to think back to the last time he'd been at this house – it was there, buried under hundreds of cyber codes and competitor profiles and the personal backgrounds of his every employee: the small memory of a thin, smiley girl with bright pink nail polish.

With effort, the memory unfolded in his mind, opening like the chapters of a book. Nolan had been here, over a decade past, and at the time found himself surrounded by ten loud, giggling girls while David had looked on, laughing at his torture.

"Little Amanda, I remember her." Nolan smiled, thinking back. "She gave me a cupcake at her birthday party when you were here for the last time. And she's graduated college now?" There was a mutual amount of surprise and despair in the realization.

_Christ, I'm getting old_, Nolan thought. He usually didn't think anything of his age, but here was the evidence that the world was spinning on and he was aging right along with everyone else.

David cleared his throat. "Yes, just last week. Double major in psychology and literature, graduated top of her class – that's a recipe for a vacation if I've ever heard one."

"I'm inclined to agree." Quiet as a cat, Emily had descended from the upstairs washroom and moved to approach the stranger her father seemed to know so well.

She had put on a pair of jeans and a plain red t-shirt, her hair was still damp but air-drying into a halo of fluffy blonde waves. Nolan thought she was prettier now that she wasn't glaring at him.

David set down his bottle, "Emily, there you are! Get over here and apologize to Nolan Ross. The man deserves a nicer hello than what you gave him on the porch."

Ignoring her father's censure, Emily turned her dark eyes on him and moved to sit on the barstool to this left. "Nolan Ross. That name is familiar."

"Do you own a smart phone?" Nolan asked.

Emily shrugged, "Of course."

"Chances are my company made it and I came up with most of the apps on it."

If she was impressed to know that it was _the_ Nolan Ross in her kitchen, Emily didn't show it. She only smiled at him, "Thanks for the unlimited texting."

The women that Nolan had come across in the Hamptons who learned who he was, or really, what he was worth, were usually given to immediate flirting and fawning; this Emily's easy acceptance was actually a nice change.

Nolan smiled back to her, "I…you're welcome."

David cleared his throat, "I gave Nolan the funding for his start-up company - today Nolcorp is a global leader in telecom."

Emily glanced to her father and then back to Nolan. "Wow, congratulations – sounds like your baby's growing fast."

Nolan shook his head, "I got lucky, that's all."

"Ignore his modesty, Emily, Nolan here didn't sleep for years - he was working round the clock to get Nolcorp where it is today." David was proud of the younger man, and he wouldn't let him hide from his own accomplishments.

"I hear that you're no stranger to all-nighters yourself." Nolan said to Emily, meaning her double-major.

Looking up, they all noticed that a UPS van had just pulled up out front of the house and a moment later there was a knock on the front door. David set down his bottle and moved to answer the delivery man.

Emily sighed lightly and smiled. "Well, hopefully those days are behind me. I plan to enjoy myself this summer – lots of swimming, sleeping in, parties-"

"No boys!" David called back to them as he went to answer the door.

"Wouldn't dream of it, dad." She called back to the man.

Emily turned her eyes back to Nolan, a sudden spark of something wicked in her gaze. Her voice dropped so that David could not hear her. These words were for Nolan. "I dated boys in college. School's out. This is the summer of men."

Nolan swallowed, wondering what trouble he had just gotten himself into with this visit.


	2. Chapter 2

Emily left her father and his friend alone for the rest of the afternoon, still tired from her flight and all the stress she'd been carrying during her last semester. She could hear the men laughing downstairs and smiled to herself as she laid back on her bed.

Exhaustion aside, Emily was excited for her summer. After several semesters of sacrificing a social life for her grades, she wanted to party, to date, to play. She had earned it and wanted to make the most of her new freedom before going to work.

The young woman took a seat before her vanity and combed out her hair, still damp from her dip in the cold sea. Her father had had enough of her attitude and ordered her into the ocean after their latest petty argument. What they had disagreed over, Emily couldn't even remember, it was so pointless. Being trapped on an international flight and then being delayed on the runway for over an hour had turned Emily into an irritable monster, she knew.

_I just need time to adjust to this time zone, I need to sleep and get something to eat, maybe then I'll feel human again_.

She hadn't expected company at all that day, let alone to come upon a lanky stranger on the porch. Emily could admit to herself that she had been a bit less than welcoming, but she resolved to apologize the next time she saw Nolan, which she hoped would be soon.

Braiding her hair to keep it neat while she napped, Emily could hear the two men laughing over some shared joke from their past.

David had mentioned Nolan to her now and then over the years, though she hadn't cared to know much about the man until now; she did know, however, that her father's decision to rent the beach house for the summer had carried the hope of seeing the other man again. David only had a handful of close friends, and Nolan was among their number, despite the act they hadn't laid eyes on each other in over a decade.

It had been a bit of fun, flirting with Nolan. Her bold crack about being finished with dating boys had clearly caught the man off-guard; his eyes had gone wide and he'd been speechless until her father had returned to them and Emily had excused herself to let them catch up.

Despite only just meeting the man, he had made something of an impression. Nolan seemed a bit uptight, a little awkward and maybe even a bit shy. Clearly, the man was lonely and in need of being brought out of his shell.

_I'll be seeing you again, Nolan Ross_.

With that thought in mind, Emily laid back and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

* * *

After a few hours and more than a few beers, Nolan left the Clarke house, so glad to have reunited with the man. They had reminisced over the early days of their first meetings, then caught each other up on what they had done with their lives over the years since.

David, being as sharp as he was, had spent time in the financial centers of the world: he'd had his start in New York, then spent several years in London and had just wrapped up a stay in Tokyo. He had, in fact, just moved back from Japan after finalizing the contracts on a corporate merger for Takeda Industries.

While David had toured the globe, his daughter Amanda - now rechristened _Emily_ - had been with him every step of the way, save for the last few years while she had been studying at Oxford. A double-major, if what David had said was true.

Nolan's pedigree was less than impressive, having left MIT in junior year, but it wasn't as if he'd spent all his time since school toking up in his father's basement. No, he'd spent years working his hands to the bone to develop Nolcorp. It wasn't until only recently that he'd been able to take a step back from the company and try to enjoy himself a bit.

He was wealthy now, and so he had the funds to explore his interests; he lived on the shore and had been flirting with the idea of buying a boat. Of course, he would need to learn all about how to care for a boat, he would need to learn how to sail, not to mention seek out a therapist to help him with his aquaphobia...

Nolan shook his head, cutting off that train of thought and moving on to a subject much more interesting.

_"I dated boys in college. School's out. This is the summer of men."_

Emily hadn't been impressed when she had found out who he was, not like the other women who approached him at the parties he'd recently attended. He could admit that, in the years he'd spent hard at work at Nolcorp, he had forgotten how to mingle and flirt. Too many late night spent staring at lines of code had drained him, leaving the man uneasy in the circles his new wealth had placed him.

So far he'd only found the kind of people typical to the Hamptons: vapid trophy wives, arrogant trust fund boys and a handful of fortune hunters.

It was discouraging, which was why he had been so eager to reconnect with David. He hadn't counted on Emily, though. After calming down a bit, the young woman had taken him in stride but in a way he liked that about her: she wasn't impressed with his wealth or his position. That and she was a firecracker. A far cry from the bright teen he remembered.

_She's all grown up now_, Nolan thought, remembering her veiled suggestion about being done with boys and being ready for a man.

Stepping into his house, Nolan tossed his keys onto the counter and moved out to the backyard, taking in the view of the shore from his deck. He thought of the past and of his friend.

_David, do you have any idea what your little girl is up to? _

A pretty girl with a wicked attitude, he might start liking her if he wasn't careful.

Turning back into the house, Nolan shook the thought away. He didn't have time for distractions; he had to ignore whatever curiosity Emily had planted in his mind.

Nolan cleared his throat and readied himself for the Stowaway.

* * *

In a pleasant surprise, Emily had gotten a call from an old friend, inviting her out for drinks. After several hours spent asleep, her mind lulled by the constant drive and pull of the waves just outside her window, Emily felt her energy return and was ready to start her summer.

She had abstained from everything fun for several years in her push to ace each class in university; she didn't want to spend any more of her time alone, bored or stressed.

With David out for the night, and her only alternative being to spend the rest of the night at the beach house alone watching television, Emily had been quick to grab her keys and meet Ashley at a place called the Stowaway.

On the phone, Ashley had called the place "rustic-chic", her way of being kind in renaming a favored dive bar. She had been a regular customer over the last few months, when the pressure put on by Victoria Grayson became a little too much and she was in desperate need of pool, darts and a stiff drink, not to mention the occasional stiff one night stand.

The two of them had smiled, hugged and gabbed on reuniting and were quick to find a boothe to share their gossip. Emily looked about the place, admiring the mix of seasoned fishermen, regular people just in for a drink, and the underage rich girls, clearly trying to flirt and overpay their way into a round of rum & Cokes.

"It's a cool bar, Ash. Want to play darts after these?" She asked, meaning their salted margaritas.

Ashley raised her brows, "Sure, but only if I can stick a picture of my boss on the board."

Emily snorted, laughing. "She's that bad, huh?"

"Trust me, she can make a porcupine look cuddly."

"Well, then we'd better get a few shots to go along with our drinks."

Emily took a deep swallow of her margarita and shivered as the sharp salt pricked her tongue. She closed her eyes for a moment, absorbing the noise of the crowd, the bar and the music, the scents of fried food and cheap beers on the tap.

She smiled, feeling much better now that she'd had a nap, time to recover from the long flight, and the stress of school had been lifted from her shoulders. Freedom was a beautiful thing and she wanted to make the most of hers while she could.

Glancing up at the bar, she blinked. "Is that…? I know him."

Ashley looked up from her own margarita, following Emily's eyes. "Hmm? Who?"

Emily cocked her head toward the lanky man across the room. "That blonde guy clearing the booth near the door."

"Oh, yeah, it's Nolan Ross." Ashley nodded and took another sip. She was well aware of the man's identity, but she didn't care for him in any setting.

Emily watched Nolan's careful movements as he cleared the booth and wiped down the table before disappearing back into the kitchen.

_Something isn't right here_, she thought to herself.

She turned to Ashley. "You've met him? What do you know about him?"

Ashley glanced toward the bar and then back to her friend. "Odd duck, he is. Newly rich, and not by a bit. He owns Nolcorp, _Nolcorp_, for God's sake, but he still works here on weekends."

Emily felt floored. "Really?"

The two of them watched as Nolan reemerged from the back and began to fill drink orders. "Yeah, word through the vine is he worked here during summers while he was attending MIT and that he's come back every summer since. For whatever reason, he still tends bar on the weekends. Who knows? Maybe he lost a bet somewhere along the way."

Emily watched as the blonde and the two brunettes behind the bar worked quickly, the men's movements completing each other as if rehearsed. "Is this his bar?"

"No, his friend's. The one with the beard, Jack Porter." Ashley informed her. She glanced down at her cell screen to see that Victoria had called a few times already, but Ashley tossed her phone back into her purse.

_I'm off the clock, Queen V can pick out her own damn pajamas_, Ashley told herself.

Emily laughed, "Well, I didn't think the kid was the boss."

Ashley smiled too. "No, that's Declan. Kid brother to Jack. Sweet boy, most of the time."

"Most of the time?"

"His mouth is bigger than he is," Ashley clarified.

"Jack Porter...that name is familiar..." Emily tried to think back to the last childhood years she had spent in the Hamptons, but her thoughts were still preoccupied with this bizarre revelation about Nolan. "So he's made all that money but he still bartends with his friends?"

"Yes, saves the bar money by volunteering his time."

Emily turned to Ashley, brows raised in genuine surprise. The man she'd found looking in their windows was turning out to be much more than she'd first expected. "A billionaire barback, that's something you don't see everyday."

Ashley took a shrimp, dipped it in the sauce before popping it into her mouth. "True, but as I said, Nolan's a little off compared to the usual Hampton crowd. He can talk tech and economics all day long but anything else and he sort of clams up."

"Maybe he's just shy."

Ashley shrugged. "Or too smart for his own good. Why're you so curious about him anyway? I thought you were more interested in Daniel."

Emily shook her head and lightly touched her hair. "Daniel is...it's a long, messy story. I'll tell you all about it when I've had about five more of these." Emily said, lifting her drink. "Anyway, Nolan came by the house earlier today to see my father. I thought he was snooping and practically threatened to call down a SWAT team."

Ashley laughed. Emily was her friend, but the girl could be a bit overbearing at times. "Doesn't surprise me, he's never hit it off with women. Half of them want to kill him in the first five minutes, while the others want to get in bed with him – or his money, really – but he won't have at it."

"Gay?"

She shrugged. "Who knows? I've seen him reject several women at the last few parties this summer even as he flirts with others. Not exactly evidence, but still a bit strange."

Before Ashley could finish, Emily had stepped away from their table and gone straight to the bar, straight to the man himself. "Hi, Nolan?"

The man looked at her for a moment before blinking and giving her a tentative smile. "Emily. Hi, um, hello. What're you doing here?"

Emily gestured to her booth, "Ashley told me the Stowaway carries a select brand of whiskey, so I had to see for myself."

Of all the things she could say - that such a polished girl would come to a dive bar to try their low-level line of whiskey was more than a little strange. "We…you like Freeman's?"

She shrugged. "It's a lesser known brand but popularity doesn't equal quality."

Nolan smiled at her, then. Finally, a real smile. "I'll send you both a shot. On the house thanks to your good taste."

Emily winked at him and went back to the boothe, ignoring the smile of an amused Ashley Davenport.

* * *

Nolan stared out over the bay, trying to relax a bit after a long night of customers rushing in and out of the bar much like the ebb and flow of the water he made a habit of watching. He was tired, but pleased. If business picked up like that every night, then the Stowaway might turn a profit that year. For the Porters' sake, he hoped so.

Declan would need to start looking at colleges soon, and Jack was too proud to take any help from Nolan. He didn't understand why; he would gladly pay Declan's way, but Jack had been clear that Nolan could keep his money, they only needed his help at the bar, anything more from him was too much.

What could Nolan do but respect Jack's wishes?

He heard footsteps approaching and turned around, surprised again to find Emily standing just behind him. Seems the girl had habits of her own.

"Oh, Emily. Hello again."

She smiled at him and stepped closer. "Hi yourself, Nolan."

"What're you doing here? I thought I saw you leave earlier with Ashley."

She shook her head, "I only stepped out to walk her to her car."

"Ah, you're a gentleman."

Emily straightened to her full height and looked him in the eye. "That I am, and I really want to apologize for the way I acted today."

Nolan shrugged, "David said you were under a lot of stress and that you were jet-lagged from a red eye, so it's all right."

Emily shook her head, "No, it's really not. As irritated as I was, no one deserved that from me."

The man nodded and reached to shake her hand, "Well, if it'll keep me out of jail, I officially forgive you."

She laughed at his formal gesture. "Thank you."

"So what're you doing on the pier?"

Turning her eyes out to the water, Emily smiled. "I like to watch the boats, plus I wanted to talk to you when you weren't busy. Now, you. What're you doing here?"

"I work here."

"I know that, but why?"

Tracing the coarse wood railing with his fingertips, Nolan began to explain why he, a tech celebrity and a billionaire besides, worked at a dive bar. "Jack has been my friend for a while and he needs an extra hand on the weekends."

"You don't look like you need the extra tips."

"That's good, since I don't take tips."

"You're a hard man to figure out, Nolan Ross. Dad told me all about you after you took off today, how you're basically a tech genius. But you spend your weekends working for free in a dock bar? Ashley was right, you are weird."

"Thanks." Nolan said drily, rolling his eyes.

Emily frowned, "I'm sorry, Nolan. I didn't mean it like that - I just meant that you're different."

"Yeah. I've heard that a few times before." Nolan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the railing.

Emily moved to do the same beside him. "It's a good thing."

"All right, now that's one I haven't heard."

They laughed a little, their laughter swallowed by the night.

Emily studied him for a long moment, his posture, his profile.

"Ask me out."

Nolan turned to face her, "What?"

"You heard me."

This girl had nerve, real nerve. Emily could shake him up if he let her. And in that moment, standing there before her, Nolan wanted to let her. _Oh, yes_.

"And why would I ask you out?"

"Because I told you to."

"You should've read last month's _Forbes_. I don't take orders, I give them."

She raised her brows at him. "It's still Saturday and you're a bartender on the weekends, all you take are orders."

There it was again, that spark in her eyes that had stuck with him since meeting her. Clearly, there was more to David's little girl than the man had guessed. He couldn't stop himself from smiling at her pluck. She was interesting, he'd give her that.

Nolan straightened to his full height and fixed her with a flirtatious expression. "Emily, would you like to go out some time?"

The girl smiled, intensely pleased with herself. "Yes." She retrieved a slip of paper from her clutch bag. "This is my number. I'll let you get back to work, don't want you to get in trouble with the boss."

Nolan took her number and slipped it in his pocket, placing his hand on the small of her back to guide her up the ramp of the pier. "Don't worry about that. Jack won't fire me. I own the bar."

Emily stopped. "What?"

Nolan winked, sharing a secret with her. "Keep that to yourself, Ems. A few years ago the banks started closing in and a, uh, few glitches in their system cleared all their debts and transferred ownership to a Nolcorp subsidiary."

Her eyes widened and she smiled at him. "That's illegal. And really, very sweet."

They stood, facing each other on the dock. "Can I call you after closing tomorrow night? I'll be Nolan Ross again, not just the bartender on break."

"You can call when you want. I like them both."


	3. Chapter 3

For twenty minutes, Nolan paced up and down the length of his pool, his bare feet occasionally dipping down into the cool water as he walked. He held a cell phone, a prototype design that he wasn't sure yet if he wanted to release onto the market.

He supposed he could base his decision on how well the call he planned to make went: a highly illogical course of action, which spoke to how rattled he was by Emily. She had gotten to him, somehow, and here was the result: he, Nolan Ross, a grown man, found himself nervous about calling a girl.

_I haven't felt like this since college,_ he teased himself. _Emily got under my skin the other night._

Shrugging, Nolan tossed the phone from hand to hand, working up his nerve. He wasn't sure what to make of her challenge to him, perhaps she was doing this to irritate her father or perhaps she was just bored.

The thought that Emily might have a genuine interest in him never entered Nolan's mind.

_Enough already_, he chided himself. _Just call her and see what she says, what's the worst that could happen?_

Nolan cleared his throat and retrieved the slip of paper she'd given him, quickly tapping out the number.

The man had to force himself to stop fidgeting as the line began to ring.

* * *

Two nights after following Nolan onto the docks and daring him into asking her out, Emily was in her room, her text to a friend in the city interrupted by an incoming call from a new number. She watched it ring once, twice, her pulse quickening for a moment.

"Hello?"

The surprisingly deep voice of Nolan Ross greeted her on the other end of the line. "Emily, hello. It's Nolan."

Emily didn't fight the smile that broke over her face. Even as brief as their meetings had been, she liked the man and was glad that he'd called. "Ah, Nolan Ross the man, not the bartender."

Back at his own beach house, Nolan carried his dinner to the covered patio on the far left side of the deck. He often took his meals outside so that he could enjoy the fresh breeze. He set down his plate and felt a small thrill in speaking with her again. Even knowing who he was, she didn't fawn over him and even better, she didn't seem to think he was too strange…not yet, anyway.

"Yep, it's me. Taking your order from the other night to give you a call."

Emily slid off her shoes and settled back against the stacked pillows on her bed. There was something compelling about this man, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"You took the order well. How was it the other night at the bar?" She asked, thinking to make some small talk.

Nolan sipped his drink before answering. "It was good. Hampton college crowd kept the place going past two, but I don't mind. I'm a night owl anyway."

"That works out well for you then."

He hesitated for a moment, but decided that it was now or never. Emily didn't strike him as a woman with much patience for games. Come to think of it, he'd never had much patience himself.

"Would you like to come over to my house tomorrow for lunch?"

Emily felt heat rise in her cheeks. She had pushed him to ask her out, and here he was doing just that. Butterflies began to beat in her belly, but she went on with it, pushing forward to meet him.

"I won't say no to that, Mr. Ross. What time is good for you?"

Nolan tapped his tabletop, thinking. "One o'clock, if that works."

"One o'clock it is." Emily smiled. "No need for directions, I already know where your house is."

"Are you stalking me with Google Earth?" Nolan asked, giving a sarcastic wave and smile to the satellite orbiting above New York.

Despite herself, Emily laughed. "Not exactly, Ashley pointed it out to me while we were driving past yesterday. Maybe she's the one stalking you."

Nolan shook his head, recalling the last conflict he'd had with Ms. Davenport: she'd barred him from one of the few parties he'd actually looked forward to attending and as payback, he'd infected her tablet with a crippling computer virus.

"I doubt it, she's probably just trying to figure out how to break in and pull off the perfect crime."

"Oh, so you two are close, hmm?"

"Close to killing each other, yes." Nolan said easily. "I'll let you go now, Emily, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Looking forward to it, goodnight Nolan."

* * *

The next day found Nolan pacing uneasily near the pool once more, anxiety eating away at his usual aloof nature. What the hell was he doing, letting Emily dare him into calling her, and then inviting her over to his house? No good could come of this, he was sure.

Emily was younger than he was, to start, and fresh out of college so her priorities probably wouldn't extend beyond beach parties for another few months as she reclaimed her freedom from all-night study sessions. She was moody, pushy, and determined to press his buttons.

But besides all that was the one nagging truth: _David would skin him alive if he touched her._

"Not happening," he muttered to himself.

Nolan had no plans to touch her; as pretty as she was, this would just be him having a guest over for lunch, not a date the way Emily had dared him on the pier.

There was something about Emily, though. She wasn't like the other girls he brought to the house: brainless, silly girls he could bring home from whatever party he happened to attend, and then forget about the next morning. Not to mention the men in these circles, the few he'd had the misfortune to entertain had been awkward and self-loathing, closeted thanks to their own fear of being cut off by rich mommies and even richer daddies.

But Emily? She was different. Not only was she family to one of the only men Nolan truly respected, she seemed eager to know things about him. Personal things, such as why he worked at the bar and why he behaved the way he did.

The man looked out over his view of the ocean beyond the infinity pool and swallowed a gulp of salty air. He shouldn't be doing this, but for some reason Emily seemed to enjoy making a splash, she'd made that clear the first day he met her.

But he wasn't a teenage boy lusting after a cheerleader any longer – though he still resembled his younger self, he was a grown man in control of his life now. He reminded himself of that fact with each step he took toward the door on hearing the doorbell.

Glancing at his watch, he noted that Emily was right on time.

He opened the door and for a moment they both stood, silently looking each other up and down and approving of what they saw. Nolan in slim cut chinos and a navy polo, Emily in a pale rose sundress and jeweled sandals.

He smiled at her. "Hello Emily."

She nodded at him, "Nolan."

"I can take your wrap." He offered as he stepped aside, making room for her to cross the threshold into his house.

"Oh, thank you." Emily slid off the cream wrap, exposing her shoulders to greedy blue eyes.

_Oh, boy..._

Nolan hung her wrap near the door and cleared his throat. "Can I give you the grand tour?"

"A tour of casa de Ross? Gossip is that that's every girl's dream." Emily grinned at him.

The man shrugged, still bemused to know that he was a popular subject of discussion among the Hampton elite. "I don't know about that, really I think every girl's dream is to go shopping with a _card de Ross_."

Emily drank in the sight of Nolan's living room. It was a large, open space. A full wall of windows let in the sight of the ocean beyond a shimmering infinity pool. A winding staircase lead up to a second story where, Emily presumed, Nolan's bedroom and office would be located.

His furniture was modern and sharp, several large paintings lined the wall, each of them offering bright splashes of color. There was a large kitchen and a well-stocked wet bar tucked off to the side; clearly, Nolan Ross was a fan of the drink.

"I won't argue that, but I have my own cards to shop with. You have great taste, Nolan, this house is beautiful."

True, the house was put together very well, but Emily didn't see any personal touches: there were no family pictures, no books. This was Nolan's house, but it was far from a home.

Nolan rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't really, but my decorator does."

"Your decorator?" Emily asked._ That explains a lot_.

He nodded, feeling embarrassed. He'd been pressured into hiring a designer from the city on moving into the house, some young "visionary" who had run up a ridiculous bill on uncomfortable furniture and abstract paintings that could have been done by a toddler with fingerpaints. That was the last time Nolan Ross had made any real effort to fit in with the Hamptons crowd.

"Yeah, I'd love to take all the credit for the place but I can't steal his thunder. If it was up to me I'd probably just have a few 2x4s sitting on cinder blocks like I did in my first place."

Emily laughed, picturing Nolan as being so happy in a hovel. "Be careful when you talk about that idea. Knowing these people, it could become a trend."

Nolan stepped forward and put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her toward the back. "I'm not crazy about what the decorator brought in, but what really sold me on the place was the view."

Together, they stepped out to the deck. His house was set much higher above the water than her father's beach cottage, and far more isolated. Still, his view stole her breath.

"Wow…it's perfect."

Nolan shrugged at her side. "I don't know about that, the view from your father's house is pretty great too."

Emily turned to him, curious about his past with her father. "How long have you known each other?"

Nolan thought for a moment, mulling over his timeline. "Over ten years, actually. Hell, maybe closer to 13 or 14...you were just a girl back then and now look at you. I'm getting old."

"Yeah, you look pretty ancient." Emily groused. She hadn't thought Nolan to be quite so many years older than her, really they could pass for being close to the same age. Only the finest of lines creased his face, but Nolan carried a world of experience in his eyes.

He smiled, "Thanks, and how old are you?"

"I'm 26."

He nudged her in the ribs. "Practically an old maid."

Playful now, Emily swatted his shoulder. "So what should a couple of old timers like us do today?"

"I don't know, maybe I'll whip up a little lunch and we can talk about how life was in the good ol' days."

"Sounds like a plan, Stan."

* * *

A bit later, after a walk on the beach and a light lunch on the deck, Emily let her gaze linger on Nolan over the rim of her glass. The man was lean, true, though she would not have called him scrawny as he'd described himself to her father. He wore his blonde hair long enough to make him appear even younger, though her eyes caught the few faint threads of grey at his temple. Aside from his physical attributes, long limbs and bright eyes, Nolan was unique.

"You're different from the others I've met."

The man looked up, swallowing the last of his lunch. "How do you mean?"

Emily leaned forward, "The way you walk, talk, dress, you actually made a meal instead of having a maid or cook make it for us…and you made your money, you didn't inherit it."

As she laid out his quirks, he had to give her credit for laying him bare. "Oh, that. Well, yeah, Hampton society still hasn't forgiven me that greatest of sins, being "new money"."

"I like it. You had an idea and you worked hard to make it into something real." Emily said. "Not everyone could have done what you did."

The man smiled, but didn't want to linger on what it had taken him to get to where he was. "Thank you. You're a graduate now, are you going to try striking out on your own?"

She laughed, "If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that…hell, I'd be as rich as you."

He took his glass and refilled it with the wine. "Don't bet on it."

"Ha ha." She playfully rolled her eyes. "Seriously, though? I might be in business with my father for awhile but eventually I'd like to start my own organization to protect the environment."

He raised a brow at her. "Save the whales and pandas, that kind of thing?"

She shrugged, "More like invest in green energy, recycling incentives, solar panel initiatives…"

"Noble. Did you come today to get me to invest?" Nolan deadpanned.

The woman across the table fixed him with a direct stare, her dark eyes burning into him. "I came out today because I like you."

"…oh."

She looked at him. "You didn't expect that, did you?"

His answer was honest. "No."

"That's sad."

"Sad?"

"That you should be so surprised when someone wants to spend time with you, yes. I think it's sad. That you would assume I'd only want to spend time with you to get your money is even sadder." Emily stated plainly.

Nolan felt heat rise to his face and neck at her too-accurate assessment. "I've been burned before." He explained. "But you're right. It's unfair of me to assume that you would be like the rest of them. I'm sorry, Emily."

Emily leaned forward and to his surprise, she put her hand over his. "I studied psychology, remember? I can read people, and it's all right, Nolan. It's happened to me, too."

Her reassurance surprised him, and he realized that he didn't want to leave things with her like this. He wanted another chance to get it right.

Nolan rolled his hand beneath hers, until his long fingers wrapped around her own manicured hand.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Emily raised her brows at him, "Like a real date?"

Nolan nodded. "Just like a real date. I'll even bring you flowers."

The woman bit her lip for a moment before smiling. "What girl could turn down an offer like that?"

He laughed at her, "You'd be surprised. I know a place, I'll pick you up at 8?"

"All right."

Emily surprised him again when she leaned across the table and kissed his cheek.


	4. Chapter 4

Passing by Emily's room early in the evening, David peeked in the door. Emily was standing before her closet mirror, slipping in a pair of gold hoop earrings. Delicate gold heels were on her feet and she was wearing a dress of draping royal blue silk.

He knocked on the door to let her know he was there, "Hey, sweetie. Where're you going, all dressed up?"

"I'm having dinner with Nolan later tonight." She answered easily.

David blinked at her. "Nolan? Nolan Ross, my Nolan?"

"That's the one." Emily confirmed as she slicked on a coat of rose lip color.

"Why?"

"Because he asked me yesterday when I was visiting him at his house."

David narrowed his eyes, wondering just _what the hell_ Emily was doing, visiting Nolan's house when he himself hadn't yet seen the place. He didn't voice that question, but instead posed another.

"I meant, why would you agree?"

Emily tossed the lipstick into her gold clutch and turned to address her father. "Because he's different from the others I've met here so far."

Her father was well aware of whom Emily meant: with their return to the Hamptons, they had been swept into the summer social scene, and she had been introduced to a legion of young men with more arrogance and inherited wealth than there was sand on the shore.

Nolan Ross stood above any one of those brats, and not only because he was so tall.

Still, that didn't explain the connection Emily and Nolan seemed to have formed in the last few days, a connection he'd had no idea about in the first place.

David raised a brow. "Different. That's a pretty good way to describe him."

"Why do you say that?"

David shrugged and picked up a bottle of perfume off her vanity table, absently sniffing the scent, some kind of flowery vanilla. "Don't get me wrong, Nolan is a good guy, I wouldn't have gotten involved with him if he wasn't, but he's also a very difficult man to get to know. He…holds a lot of himself back, I think."

Emily thought on her father's words and recalled Nolan's flat question of _Did you come today to get me to invest?_

He'd jumped to the thought that she had only wanted to use him for his money, and clearly he wouldn't have done so unless someone had done that to him in the past. She hadn't been insulted by his question, if anything it had given her the opportunity to be as direct with him as she pleased.

"I got that feeling from him too. Why do you think that is?" Emily asked him.

David laughed. "Oh, who knows? He was a little weird when I met him and he's a little weird now, he's a stand-up guy though."

Emily smiled at her father, feeling light, feeling happy and even a little nervous to see Nolan again. "I like what I know of him so far, Dad."

"That's good. You might be just the thing to get him to come out of his shell."

She smiled, "Is that you giving your blessing?"

"I suppose it is. Have fun tonight, and try not to break his heart, sweetie."

"No promises."

* * *

Nolan pulled up in front of the Clarke house, the yellow peonies he'd promised to Emily resting on the passenger seat beside him. He wasn't nervous because this was most certainly _not_ a date. Or, that had been what he'd been telling himself all throughout the day.

_No. She dared me to ask her out, which I did, then asked her out again after she kissed me, and now here we are. I've brought her flowers and I'm picking Emily up for a nice dinner...nothing remotely date-like about this_, he thought sarcastically.

Nolan cleared his throat and took the flowers with him up the walkway to the house. For this "friendly dinner", as he had come to call it, he had foregone his usual summer dress of a polo shirt paired with chinos or board shorts and put on a suit. The man could admit that he cleaned up well, but he doubted that anyone would take much notice of him next to Emily.

He knocked on the door and could see movement inside the house, but it wasn't Emily who opened the door to greet him, it was David. "Flowers, Nolan? You know how to charm a guy."

"That I do," Nolan admitted. "But these are actually for Emily."

David stepped aside, "Come on in. Emily's still upstairs getting ready. Have a seat."

Knowing he was in for "the talk", he sat on the arm of the sofa and waited. For his part, David couldn't help looking his friend up and down with a critical eye, assessing him as he would with any boy Emily might have brought home. This was an odd position to be in, for his daughter to be going out to dinner with his friend and past business associate.

It was odd, yes, but he doubted that whatever this was would become anything worrisome. Still, at the end of the day Nolan was just a man and in that respect David didn't trust him for half a second.

"Nolan, I don't know how it came to be that you and Emily are spending time together-"

He took a deep breath and sat up straighter under David's hard stare.

"-but I'm fine with it. Take her to dinner, have a drink and a few laughs, it's fine. I know you're a good guy and that you'll treat her the way a lady deserves to be treated."

David's voice had dropped and taken on an edge, the underlying message coming across perfectly: _Disrespect my daughter and I'll break your neck._

Nolan nodded, stood up and offered his hand. "I understand."

Smiling now, David shook his hand. "All right. So, where're you two heading?"

"I thought to take her to Silver's."

"Oh, yeah, the place with the crab cakes." David said, recalling that they had had more than a few business lunches there during the early days of their association. "She'll love that, girl's crazy for seafood."

"Did I hear crab cakes?"

Both men turned to see Emily descend the stairs, both men caught staring for completely different reasons: David in pride that his little girl had grown into such a compelling woman and Nolan because he suddenly wasn't sure he could keep his word to David.

She came forward, right up to Nolan, and took the flowers from his nerveless hand. "It's nice to see you again, Nolan. I'm guessing these are for me."

"We'll, they're not for me," David said as he passed them on his way to the kitchen. "You kids have a fun time. And Nolan, I want her home by 11."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Dad."

David smiled at her, but as his eyes shifted to meet Nolan's, his gaze hardened. Again, the silent message was clear: _Bring her home at a decent hour._

Nolan nodded back at him and guided Emily out of the house.

* * *

By the time they'd arrived at Silver's, Emily and Nolan had already spent the ride over bantering back and forth. It was fun, sharpening their skills against each other and the company was entirely refreshing: it had been ages since they had found anyone to match wits with.

The host guided them to a table and after agreeing on a wine to share, Emily leaned in. "I've heard that you're a hard man to get to know. Even my father thinks you're a mystery and you've known each other for over a decade."

While looking over the menu, Nolan shrugged. "I'm just shy."

Under the table, Emily tapped her stiletto against his calf. "You weren't shy the other day."

Nolan shifted his weight, amused by this flirting and unable to stop himself from flirting back to her. It was his rotten luck that Emily was completely off-limits; even as he smiled and laughed with her, the man was truly disappointed - this would be as far as their evening could go.

"Special circumstance."

"Oh, really?" Emily pressed.

"Really." He confided. "The other day, you said that I was different. You're a little different yourself, Ems."

Emily tilted her head. "How's that?"

Nolan gestured to their surroundings. "You haven't complained about the restaurant I chose as not being exclusive enough. There haven't been any hints about how I should dress more like the Hamptons crowd. Your idea of a date isn't me buying you a new wardrobe and you haven't pressed me for a diamond just yet."

Emily sat back in her chair, confounded. "Wow, you have been burned in the past."

Nolan set the menu aside, decided on the salmon.

It was not often that he disclosed his past, but even in the few meetings they'd had, he knew that Emily was a genuine woman. He could talk to her.

"Scortched."

She leaned forward to wink at him. "I was actually saving all that for our next date."

"Oh, so there'll be another date after this?"

Nolan's pulse jumped as the women flashed him a look of pure playfulness, her foot sliding against his calf once more.

"If you play your cards right."

Nolan held her gaze. "The night's not over yet."


	5. Chapter 5

Every once in a great while, Nolan Ross would find himself forced to admit that he could not control his entire universe. Sometimes codes would not align the way he needed them to, sometimes he would catch a cold and sometimes he met someone who could leave him speechless.

This time, that special someone was Emily. And she was special, Nolan had known that the moment she threatened him at her father's house.

It was her wit, her sly sense of humor, her intelligence...Nolan couldn't remember the last time he had had such an interesting night. Emily was keeping him on his toes like no other had before.

David had made it clear that Nolan wasn't to disrespect her, but surely the man wouldn't object to them simply spending more time together?

Watching as she took a delicate sip of wine, Nolan couldn't help but think with heavy regret, _If only you were a different girl...no, not a different girl, just a different daughter_.

He was regretful, yes, but Nolan was also a man of his word. He had promised David that he would treat Emily like a lady, the true meaning behind his promise being that he wouldn't approach her with any sexual intent.

Not that the promise was necessary; Nolan had never been overly aggressive in his pursuits to begin with, but he was sure that Emily could defend herself if he lost his mind and tried anything foolish.

Emily smiled at him and Nolan felt heat rise in his chest. She was clever, and pretty, and so...

Nolan had promised David that he would behave while he was with Emily, yes, but he saw no reason why they couldn't meet again after tonight. Clearly, they found each other amusing and as it stood their schedules were open. With time available and a mutual interest between them, why not?

Certainly he couldn't have Emily in the romantic sense, the deck was stacked against him in that respect already: she was younger, barely more than a girl fresh out of school and enjoying her first taste of freedom outside of the classroom. He knew David would be unhappy at the idea, and as wonderful as Emily was, he couldn't jeopardize his friendship for her.

Not that she wasn't tempting him beyond all reason...

"Do you play any sports?" Emily asked.

Throughout the night, they had discussed their interests, their adventures in school and Emily had somehow gotten him to talk a bit of fashion with her. Her sharp eyes had assessed his reckless style and drawn him into explaining himself, congratulating him when he confessed his desire for rebellion against the Hampton elites. Emily's own style was a reflection of how she felt in the moment, though unlike him, she did dress more to fit in with her surroundings; she was David Clarke's daughter, she had certain expectations to live up to.

Nolan smiled at her, "Can't say I do, are you surprised?"

"No, I'll bet you can play the hell out of an X-box, though."

"Of course, I helped design the thing." He took a quick sip, "What about you, socialite by day, gamer by night?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I gave up after they came out with the Playstation 2. As for sports, I was never on any official teams, but every once in awhile I'll shoot pool or play darts, go bowling with friends, that kind of thing."

Nolan thought it might be fun to bring her somewhere low-key if he got the chance to take her out again. He was decent with a pool cue too, maybe they could play teams. "You play bar sports."

"Hey, I'm a bar sport champion!" She boasted.

"Can I get an autograph?"

Emily gave him a sly grin and slipped a pen from her purse. Nolan watched as she quickly scrawled out a note on a cloth napkin before passing it to him, "Hold on to that, it'll be worth a lot of money someday."

"It's worth more than money." Nolan confided quietly, quickley tucking it into his pocket as their server approached the table.

"Mr. Ross, Ms. Clarke, can I interest you in some dessert? Perhaps our signature opera cake or a lemon tart to share?"

Emily shook her head, "No thank you, I'm fine. Nolan?"

Following suit, Nolan hid his disappointment and politely declined dessert. He didn't want to take Emily home just yet but it was late already, and all great things met their eventual end.

Ignoring Emily's protest, Nolan handed the server a card to pay. "You didn't have to do that."

Nolan shook his head, "Of course I did. You tricked me into taking you out tonight, so I'll buy your dinner. You can't argue with that logic."

Emily let his comment about "tricking" him slide, smiling at him instead. "You're right, I can't. Let me visit the ladies room and I'll meet you up front?"

"It's a plan."

* * *

Nolan stood near the restaurant entrance, waiting for the valet to bring his car around while Emily was freshening up in the ladies room, doing whatever it was that ladies did in their private moments. Nolan assumed experimental lesbian kissing and the exchange of designer sample sale locations.

"Nolan, who let you in here?"

That voice set his teeth on edge. _And tonight was going so well..._

Nolan turned to see young Daniel Grayson, the Price of the Hamptons, an heir to unspeakable wealth and power - carrying all the dim-witted arrogance to match - heading the charge of his frat pack. With a quick visual sweep of the group, Nolan could see that they had already been painting the town red and they were only getting started.

"The docks are back that way." Daniel said, pointing over his shoulder.

"I'm on a date." Nolan graced him with a tight smile and nodded to the drink in his hand. "It's good to see you've recommitted yourself to sobriety. If only your last girlfriend had had a rich mom and pop to help her out of trouble."

The smile slipped from Daniel's face and color rose in his cheeks. "How do you know about that?"

"Please, Daniel, everybody knows about that." Nolan groused.

"Nice to see that you're still the town gossip." Daniel rolled his eyes, "So you're on a date, huh? What's his name?"

Nolan bit back a retort when Emily appeared at his side, her lipstick retouched and hair smoothed down. To his irritation, though, her attention fell on Grayson.

"Daniel."

Nolan watched as Daniel stilled, just as caught as Emily. "I haven't seen you since that...what're you doing here?"

"I'm-"

Nolan moved forward and put a hand around Emily's waist, his intent to make things clear to the boy. "She's with me."

Emily smiled slyly while Daniel stood for a moment, dumbfounded. His jaw worked back and forth before asking her, "You're with Nolan?"

"I am."

Nolan nodded, gesturing to himself, "The one and only."

Daniel ignored him, his focus still on Emily. "How did you-?"

"We were just leaving." Nolan cut him off, guiding Emily away. "Enjoy bar hopping with your frat buddies."

* * *

Nolan put his car in gear and encouraged Emily to listen as he tuned to his favored artist of the moment, Lana Del Rey, a beautiful crooner whose lyrics were inspired even as the songs themselves bordered on the mournful.

They were quiet as he drove, letting their meals settle as _Video Games_ flowed throughout the car, the song a near lullaby to them both though Nolan was in no danger of falling asleep behind the wheel.

It had been his intent to bring Emily back home at the respectable hour of eleven o'clock, returning her to her father with his promise intact. He had no desire to part company, but he was a man of his word and didn't want to bait himself further with the hope of something he couldn't have.

He glanced over as Emily put down the window, her hair whipping as she put her hand out, surfing her fingers against the force of the wind. She turned to him, "Nolan, I'm not ready to go home just yet. It's such a nice night, would you like to go to the beach?"

The man was surprised by her request: they weren't dressed to walk the sand, she in her heels and he in his suit. But more than that, he'd assumed she was ready to end their evening but now it seemed she'd only wanted privacy.

Nolan's hands tightened on the wheel.

_This can't happen, Emily. If I have you alone, I know I'll end up crossing a line. You're amazing but I promised your father. I can't let this happen, I _won't_ let this happen. That's it, I've decided. I'm going to take you home right now and I'll never think about you again-_

"It's your night, Ems. We can have a nightcap at my house and then take a walk on the shore."

_Damn it._

* * *

Nolan parked just outside his front door and lead Emily inside. Ever the gentleman, he hung up her wrap and offered to make coffee. Ever the lady, Emily followed after him, intent to assist, but she stopped short in the kitchen.

Every inch of his countertops was covered in the rainbow colored boxes of Girl Scout cookies. She couldn't hide her surprise, "Whoa, Nolan, did you buy out a whole Girl Scout troup?"

Nolan moved some boxes out of the way and got started on a fresh pot of coffee. "I'm all about the cause, Ems."

The woman built a small pyramid of Tagalongs and smiled, "You're serious?"

He shrugged, "Close to serious. The scouts love me. I buy a ton of cookies every year and pass them out to my support staff along with their bonuses, but it's kind of lame for a thank-you gift, huh?"

Emily shook her head, "Not at all, most bosses barely think of their support staff, cookies are a great gesture. I bet they look forward to the cookies more than the bonuses."

"I'll test that theory and hold their checks this year." Nolan joked, but then thought of something, "Care to take a few boxes of Thin Mints off my hands?"

Emily looked at him, wondering if he somehow knew that they were her absolute favorites. They had sorely been missed while she lived abroad.

"You're twisting my arm, but I'll do anything for a friend...it's a huge sacrifice but I'll also take a few Samoas too." She told him, smiling as she set aside three boxes of each for herself.

"You would do that for me?" Nolan asked in mock gratitude.

"I would do that to help you clear some counter space." Emily laughed, gesturing to the grand kitchen that had been overrun by the treats. "A kitchen like this deserves better."

Nolan poured two cups of coffee into ceramic Nolcorp mugs. "Do you like to cook?"

Carefully sipping, Emily nodded. "I liked to cook before I went to school, but in my last few semesters I needed electives so I took a few culinary art classes. It kind of became my release whenever I would get overwhelmed with everything else going on."

"I think we all need something like that to keep us sane," Nolan said as he tasted his coffee. "When I was younger, coding was my release. Now that coding is my job, I've had to find other things."

"Like what?"

Nolan paused. He could hardly tell her the truth, that he got a sick thrill from making mischief in the lives of the Hamptonites who slighted him: corrupting Ashley's tablet; revealing Lydia Davis's true age - a full ten years older than what she'd told everyone in her circle; learning the truth of Daniel's little trip upstate just a few months before...no, he doubted that Emily would appreciate his juvenile hobby.

"I, uh - I crochet." He lied.

Emily raised a brow at him, her skepticism clear. "You crochet?"

He cleared his throat uneasily, "No, I don't. You still up for the beach?"

* * *

It was a bit later that Nolan found himself smiling as he watched Emily run at the water, letting it flow over her ankles before she ran back again, her bare feet freezing from the touch of the Atlantic.

He had rolled up his slacks and walked barefoot now, as she did. Emily wore his suit blazer over her dress and carried her golden heels in one hand.

In a way, Nolan admired how free Emily seemed to be. She didn't hold back. He would do well to take after her and let go every once in awhile.

Emily came to his side and they fell into step together.

Nolan knew it wasn't his business to ask, but in a way he felt entitled to know, "So what was that back at the restaurant? How do you know Daniel Grayson?"

Looping her arm through his as they walked, Emily shrugged. "Daniel and I have some history."

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" He prodded. In truth, he hoped that she would just tell him so that his curiosity wouldn't lead him into a hack.

Emily shook her head, "A girl likes to keep her secrets." She paused a beat. "You tell me."

He furrowed his brow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Daniel isn't a stranger to you." Emily nudged his shoulder. "Something happened between the two of you."

_How does she know-?!_

Thrown by her incisive deduction, Nolan quickley tried to skirt the issue. "Listen to you! David got his money's worth out of your psychology degree, didn't he? You don't miss a thing."

"I didn't need my degree to sense the tension," she said. "And I don't need it now to see that you're trying to change the subject."

They walked in silence for a bit, neither of them giving in to the other.

"That will be a story for another time." Nolan said.

There were things that he wanted to tell her, to tell _someone_, but the simple truth was that he barely knew Emily and didn't yet trust her enough to confide anything of consequence.

Similarly, Emily liked Nolan and wanted to spend more time with him; she feared the man might turn from her if he knew her history with Daniel. But besides that, she had not yet spoken to her father, and he deserved to know the truth more than anyone.

Easily brushing the subject of Daniel aside, Emily squeezed Nolan's arm. "Aha, so you will be taking me out again."

Nolan stopped dead in his tracks as he came to realize Emily's hold on him. He'd met her once while she was a teenager and forgotten all about the girl for over a decade, and now it was only days after their reintroduction and she had managed, in a roundabout way, to get him to ask her out several times and open his life to her curiosity.

Thrilled to have been chosen by her, amazed that she was clever enough to have manipulated him into this odd relationship, Nolan twirled Emily and marveled, "Ems, you could take over the world."

She laughed and swatted his arm. "No, not the whole world. Just the Hamptons."

* * *

Emily was honest in most things, and she was always honest with herself. This man, Nolan Ross, had caught her attention from the first day, the lanky man with the colorful shirt who had been so stunned by her defiant joke told the moment her father had moved out of earshot.

It had been a game to tease him at first, but Emily had come to see deeper into the man: he was a character marked by loyalty and suspicion, his remarkable mind joined with the shadow of loneliness.

He seemed to trust her, if only a little and if only because she was David Clarke's daughter; Emily doubted that Nolan would have been half as accepting of her if she had been any other woman.

And Emily?

She liked Nolan for the man he had shown himself to be: intelligent, funny and perhaps just a bit protective, as he had been quick to break company from Daniel.

_Daniel_.

Emily hadn't expected to see Daniel so soon; she knew that he would be back in the Hamptons for the summer and that they were bound to run into each other, but an awkward reunion while at dinner with Nolan had been less than ideal.

Still, Daniel was not her concern now. Emily pulled Nolan's blazer in closer around her as he steered her home, the scent of his cologne clinging to the material.

"I had a great time tonight, Nolan." Emily began after he'd parked before her house and began walking her up to the door.

"Glad to hear it, Ems. I had a nice night too, this was probably the best time out I've had in a while."

They reached the door and simply stood, both of them suddenly unsure. They looked at their shoes, at the door, at the bag of cookies in Emily's hands, but it seemed that little else would be said and no more contact would be made.

Emily shifted her weight and turned toward the door, the words "thank you, goodnight" hovering on her lips-

Then, Nolan surprised her.

She had just turned away when Nolan put his hand on her shoulder, turning her back toward him. He didn't hesitate or ask permission.

Nolan took control.

He pressed his lips against her own, angling his head and taking the kiss deeper, harder, than Emily had expected after only knowing him as being so restrained. Her ideas about him fell away, drowned in the tide of shocked arousal rising within her.

She felt the heat of the man as he held her close, one hand firm on her hip and the other gentle on her cheek. Emily held him, her hands finding their way into his hair and over his back.

"Wow," she breathed as Nolan pulled away, far too soon for her liking.

He only smiled. "Goodnight Emily."

She watched as he turned to leave, striding off the porch, and she tried to ignore the weakness in her knees.

While Emily slipped into the house and Nolan started his car, they both shared the same thought: _there will _definitely_ be another date._


	6. Chapter 6

Emily floated through the house in a haze of arousal and a sudden rush of fluffy, girlish infatuation. Her lips were throbbing in memory of Nolan's kiss, her skin had erupted in goose flesh thanks to his wandering hands. In shedding his restraint for those precious moments on the porch, Nolan had both surprised and scared her.

For the first time since she'd started to spend time with him, Emily faltered - Nolan was not one of her schoolmates to play with, and she couldn't let herself be fooled by his youthful appearance: Nolan was a man in every sense of the word, just as she had declared him on their first meeting.

Still reeling from the kiss, Emily was both awake and newly vulnerable; she felt her mind spin with wonder - had Nolan only been asserting himself against her flirting or had he come to care for her? When would she see him again? And, first in her mind, when would she be given another kiss?

Emily slipped off her shoes, hung his borrowed jacket in the foyer closet and paused only to set Nolan's gifted cookies on the kitchen counter before padding up the stairs to her bedroom. Once inside, she wasted no time in unpinning her hair and removing her earrings, then slipping out of her dress, which she replaced in her closet and then her bra, which she simply tossed on the floor.

Happily sliding under the sheets and blanket in just her panties, Emily relived the kiss again and again, the feel of his lips on hers, the strength of his hands as he'd held her. The heat of his body against her own. Emily felt a similar heat rise in her cheeks and chest, nervously giggling at the memory. All at once, Nolan had shattered her confidence and left her dazed. She had not been so enthralled since her teens.

Admitting the truth to herself, Emily knew she had been pushing Nolan all night, and her prize was his loss of control on the porch. She settled back in bed, wishing now that Nolan had pressed her for more than just a kiss.

_That kiss wasn't enough, Nolan. Next time..._

The scene unfolded in her mind, stirred by the true memory and a heated imagination.

In a blink, she and Nolan were back in his glass house, all jokes and banter falling by the wayside as he moved to take her. His gentle charm was silenced in the rise of the man she had only glimpsed in his kiss.

Emily hummed softly, her hands trailing up and down her belly and waist, over her breasts and thighs, imagining the touch of the man. He would be tentative at first, she decided, kissing her softly, every inch of newly exposed skin would be touched by his lips as he undressed her. Then, as clothes were shed and their shared heat began to rise, Nolan would again take charge, throwing her down on his bed and driving into her like-

_ping-ping_

Emily scowled at the interruption and would have thrown her cell against the wall if she hadn't caught sight of Nolan's name on the text alert.

She sat up and looked about her room, suddenly taken with the paranoid thought that Nolan somehow knew what she'd just been up to. Irrational as the thought was, his timing was suspect.

**You can keep the blazer but I want my souvenir back.**

For a moment she wondered what he meant, but then she remembered - the napkin she'd signed for him at Silver's was still tucked into the breast pocket of the jacket he'd leant to her when the night had turned chill.

Pleaded now, Emily pictured Nolan alone at his house, eating cookies, lounging around in his pajamas or - her pulse quickened at the thought - perhaps he had been exploring himself as she had just been doing after the thrill of their kiss.

She was quick in typing her reply:** I'm no thief, you'll get them both back. For a price.**

**Name it.**

Emily smiled, and dared herself to text: **Don't wait so long to kiss me the next time I see you.**

**You drive a hard bargain. We'll talk.**

* * *

Nolan pulled away from the Clarke house once he saw that Emily was inside and had shut the door behind her. He drove out, his lips remembering the feel and taste of her, his hands tightening on the steering wheel, angry with unfulfilled need.

Nolan did not regret the kiss in the least, but she had baited him into breaking his promise to David. Jeopardizing a friendship was something Nolan never wished to do, not to mention the tension that might arrise between David and Emily herself if they were to rush into anything.

Still, now Nolan only wanted her more. A kiss would never be enough, not when he already found Emily so alluring. His mind was running rampant with scenes of them together; bantering back and forth, cooking together, dining out, playing pool and making love in his bed, on his sofa, on the deck outside, on the shore below-

_Get a grip, Nolan. You've already gone too far by kissing her._

Returning to his empty house had no appeal. Nolan was excited, restless. If he went home, he knew that he'd only end up pacing in the backyard or his bedroom. He didn't want that, he wanted to talk to someone.

Running back to Emily's wasn't an option so he instead pulled off and headed to the Stowaway, intent to see Jack. Although he was about a decade younger, Jack had more experience in dating than Nolan did...of course, it's easier to date when a man wasn't plagued by constant suspicion.

Over the years, Jack had proven himself as a valuable friend, one of the few people on the world that Nolan felt he could trust. Downshifting as he pulled up to the bar, Nolan held the hope that Jack might have some advice on navigating the tricky course of dating the daughter of a friend.

The neon bar sign was off, but he could see the brothers inside, cleaning up after the Hamptons college crowd and the inevitable mess that had been left behind. Nolan knocked and waved, glad that Declan let him inside. "Hey Nolan, you miss cleaning up for closing?"

Nolan shook his head at the young man, "Not so much, but thanks for letting me in, Dec."

Jack jutted his chin at Nolan as he lifted a chair onto a tabletop. "What's with the suit?"

Nolan loosened his tie, boasting a bit. "I had a date."

Jack raised a brow in curiosity. "Anybody we know?"

"I don't think so." Nolan knew that the Porters were natives to the area, if they had ever met then it was possible that Jack would remember the Clarkes. He turned to the older brother, "Do you remember the Clarke family? They used to live up the shore, years ago. A man and his daughter."

Jack shrugged as he lifted another chair onto a tabletop. "I...maybe. Who'd you go out with? The dad or the daughter?"

It was a fair question. Nolan rarely named names about who he took to bed, but the Porter brothers were aware that it could be a man just as easily as it could be a woman.

"The daughter." Nolan clarified. "Emily, but you might remember her as Amanda."

Jack lightly furrowed his brow, thinking back in the effort to place an Amanda Clarke from his late childhood. He couldn't place the name on the spot, it had been a long time.

"So how'd it go?" Declan asked.

Jack shot his brother a sly smile, for it was a pointless question, given Nolan's mussed hair and the pink smear of lipstick across his mouth and cheek.

Having returned to his facetious self, Nolan feigned chastity. "I'm a gentleman, I dont kiss and and tell."

"So you did kiss her."

"Yeah."

"Nice."

"You like her, huh?" Jack asked, even as the answer was obvious. He couldn't remember Nolan mentioning any dates in the last several months, let alone being taken in so quickly. Whoever this Emily was, she had already worked her magic on the man.

Nolan lifted a few chairs onto their respective tabletops, helping the brothers close down the bar. "We've only seen each other a few times, but I like what I know so far. She's the whole package, a hard 10, Jack."

"She have any friends?" Declan asked from behind the bar.

Jack stepped up and clapped Nolan on the shoulder. "Hey, that's good for you, Nolan. You finally found a girl with the same phobias and gaming obsessions as you, that's got to be one in a million."

Laughing, Nolan shoved at Jack and shook his head. "Actually, she said she doesn't play games and I don't think anything could scare her. She's great."

He could hear how boyish he sounded, but Nolan didn't bother fighting it. Hadn't he earned the right to enjoy himself a bit? Certainly he had, he felt entitled to indulge his new infatuation...but Emily had come to him draped in complication.

"Oh yeah? So you gotta be seeing her again, right? You could bring her here, let us get a look." Declan suggested. He was growing as curious as his brother.

Nolan mulled over the idea; he wanted to see Emily again, to have her with him under the eyes of his closest friends. He had never introduced anyone special to the Porters, usually he preferred to keep that aspect of his life separate.

Still, the idea had appeal. To bring her out to meet his friends, introducing her as his...his...his _Emily_. It would be a slice of domesticity, a piece of normal in his decidedly abnormal life.

"I want to, I just don't think I should."

"Why's that?"

It wasn't often that Nolan spoke of his position as the CEO of his own company; in a way, Nolan had divided himself, and the Nolan who ran a business was another man entirely. Jack and Declan were aware of him, his wealth and his power, it was simply the unspoken truth between them.

"It's her father. He was my first investor, and he's been a friend for a very long time. It complicates things." Nolan cleared his throat. "The whole time I was with her tonight, I kept thinking, _'If she was anyone else's daughter...' _"

"But she's not. She is who she is, and now you're feeling the pinch." Jack summed up. He felt for his friend, this was a difficult situation.

"To put it mildly, yeah." Nolan said as he slid onto a barstool. "It's been years since I've had such a great night, I don't want to give up on her yet."

At Jack's nod of approval, Declan poured a shot for their conflicted friend. "So what're you going to do?"

Nolan nodded his thanks for the drink and sighed, thinking out loud. "Well, I'm too old to be sneaking around behind her father's back, and I respect him too much to do that anyway." He paused a moment as an idea formed. "How about this? I'll see Emily one more time, and if things go well and we want to keep things going, then I'll tell David."

"Seems smart." Declan said. "Think her dad will be all right with it?"

Nolan knocked back his shot and slid the tiny glass across the bar, from one hand to another before handing it back to Declan. "Oh, no way in hell. David will kill me the second I tell him what's going on."

As Nolan thumped his forehead on the bar, Jack cleared his throat. "Well in that case, we'll be sure to say nice things at your funeral."

"I appreciate that." Nolan muttered.

He was conflicted, but all the same glad to have good friends on his side.


	7. Chapter 7

Nolan set his cell to charge after finishing his text exchange with Emily. She had him, and he knew it. He knew it, and embraced it, surrendering himself to the thrill of infatuation. For years he had closed himself off from people, spending so much time behind a computer screen at Nolcorp that it had taken a rude awakening to shake him from the trance and remind him that life was meant to be lived.

He had eased the hours spent at the office, working from home several times a week and what was more, he had tried reaching out for connections. In putting less intense focus on his work, Nolan had taken time to assess his life. Truly, he was happy; the man had built something important, making his mark on the world, he was comfortable with himself and he had a close handful of friends that he could count on when the time came. His ideas and effort had rewarded him with more wealth than he had ever dreamed of when he was younger, and in turn he had been able to do great things with that wealth. There were many scholarships and charities established through Nolcorp, and he had seen for himself that the programs were working.

It was only at night, when insomnia plagued him, that the man admitted a special kind of lonliness. Despite his material success, despite his happiness, Nolan Ross longed for something _more_.

Sex he could find easily enough, but even the release with another rang hollow when he would find himself alone again by the next day. Simply put, sex wasn't enough anymore.

Nolan mulled over these thoughts as he undressed and headed into the bathroom. He didn't want to sleep, he wanted Emily to be there with him. She was bright and beautiful, irresistible and alluring. He'd broken his word to David by kissing her, and though Nolan worried about the fallout of what he had done, he knew that he would kiss her again, and more, if given half the chance.

Turning on the shower and stepping into the steam, he could picture Emily walking through the door of his bedroom and joining his dream self beneath the sheets of the bed. Before the man knew what he was doing, he'd closed his eyes and let his hands wander his body as the scene played out in his mind. Emily would kiss him again, and smile that secret, cunning smile he'd grown to love. She would laugh at whatever he said, climb over him, her legs straddling his hips. The Emily of his fantasy held nothing back, she took his body into her own in one swift motion, rocking into him, hard and fast-

Nolan gasped in his release and panted for several moments before groaning, irritated now. He wasn't himself lately; he had never even considered kissing the daughter of an investor or client, he rarely told the Porters anything of his romantic life and it was even rarer that he resorted to his own touch when the subject of his interest was so willing...no, Nolan Ross had not been himself since Emily had rattled him with her flirting and her intense curiosity about everything that had made him the man he had become.

He knew that the wise thing to do at this point would be to put distance between he and Emily. In his absence, she would grow bored and her attentions would move on to someone else, someone more suitable in age and relation to her father. Nolan gritted his teeth against the thought of Emily taking up with Daniel Grayson. The man was younger than Nolan, closer to Emily's age, but he was still running around all night with his reckless friends, the alpha dog in a pack of rich idiots.

_I need to talk to David_, Nolan decided as he lowered his head under the water once more.

The thought of explaining to his friend that he found his only daughter fascinating - not to mention worlds beyond sexy - filled him with anxiety. On the one hand, Emily was an adult and free to decide whatever she pleased. On the other, the plain fact was that Nolan's new connection with Emily was complicated. As much as he liked her, Nolan was still wary and with sound reason; Emily wouldn't be the first woman - or man - who had tricked him by feigning interest at the start to reveal some other intention later on in the relationship.

_Stop. You know she isn't like the rest._

He was not so naive as he once was. He knew the signs now: a subtle remark over some long-desired trinket ("I've always wanted a pink diamond bracelet"), a sudden interest in travel ("You've been to Paris? It's been a dream of mine for so long!"), or a blatant sexual manipulation which, at the very least, Nolan saw as being more honest.

Emily had done no such thing with him. She didn't seem to put much value on clothes or jewelry or cars. She seemed to value intelligence and humor above everything else. Nolan didn't want her to be like the others. He wanted her to be different.

_She is different_, he thought as he stepped out of the shower. He knew she was different, it was just a matter of working past the insecurities that plagued him.

It was not Emily's fault that he had been burned in the past, it was not her fault that Nolan was hesitant because of her father. They were his issues that needed to be dealt with, and he resolved to find a way.

Emily deserved his effort, she was worth it.

Nolan put on a pair of lounge pants and descended the stairs, looking for the Nolpad tablet he'd left on the counter. He slid onto a barstool and swiped his fingertips over the screen, checking his e-mails from work and seeing what the week had in store for him.

He was pleased to see that his product manager had finished a new prototype ahead of schedule. _Great job, Nicole, that earns you a box of Do-Si-Dos_, he thought happily, glancing over at the Girl Scout cookies in the kitchen.

This worked in his favor. With the prototype now ready for testing, the man would need to go to Nolcorp in person to oversee the study; he could stay in the city for a few days, and while away, use the time to clear his mind where Emily was concerned.

_Who said you can't kill two birds with one stone?_

* * *

Emily rolled a bottle of cherry red nail polish between her palms, intent to give herself a pedicure. It was late afternoon, and she had spent most of the day on the beach. She was getting the vacation she'd longed for at school; for the most part her days had been spent on the beach reading under the shade of an oversized umbrella, collecting sea glass and shells, playing improvised games of bat gammon or volleyball with her father when he was home, and - on the rare occasion when she could escape her nightmare boss - shopping with Ashley at the boutiques in town.

She had gone to several parties already, either the more formal gatherings hosted by the business associates of her father or house parties that had devolved into keggers and she had made a quick exit. The summer was shaping up exactly the way she'd hoped it would, already she was worlds happier and more relaxed than when she'd been at school slaving away on her finals.

Nolan had texted her earlier that morning, claiming that he would be in the city for most of the day but that he wanted to see her when he returned. They had not seen each other since their date night, nearly a week ago now, but it was safe to say that they had been on each other's mind. Ashley had questioned her mercilessly after hearing from Daniel that Emily had been with Nolan at Silver's, but Emily had kept quiet about the man.

She would tell Ashley all about Nolan once they decided where they stood with each other. Emily wasn't one to immediately label things with every man who took her to dinner, but all the same if she was going to gossip to her friend about her connection to the man, she would at least like to have her facts straight.

A few careful strokes saw crimson overtake her buffed toenails, and Emily considered doing the same to her fingertips when her cell chirped and displayed a picture of Nolan she'd taken from one of his early _Wired_ magazine covers. She planned to replace it if he ever let her take a live candid photo.

"Hello?"

"Emily, it's Nolan."

"How was the city?" She asked, excited to hear from him.

"It was all right, but after a few days I'm ready to be back home. I'm starving, what about you, are you hungry?"

Emily shrugged, "I could eat."

On the other end of the line, Nolan pressed harder on the gas, accelerating faster, faster, his appetite and want to see her again urging him home. He regretted not taking the corporate helicopter. "Pick you up in an hour?"

"Works for me."

The exchange lasted less than a minute, and as soon as she ended the call Emily was shuffling to her closet to pick an outfit to wear. She had been hoping to hear from the man, as they had only traded a few texts since their kiss, a kiss that had kept Emily awake at night and set her thoughts to wander during the day.

Heat rose in her neck and chest with anticipation. She refused to jinx things, and simply hoped for a night time out spent with the man.

Not that she needed to worry; she and Nolan were surprisingly good sparring partners and clearly, the attraction was mutual. Even if her father was confounded by it, even though Nolan was hesitant, Emily had never been one to hold back against what might turn into a great thing.

And if their last date was any indication, then tonight would be well worth remembering.

* * *

True to his word, Nolan arrived at the Clarke house about an hour after his quick exchange with Emily. David smirked as he watched the younger man park in the drive and approach the house. He wasn't an idiot; he could see easily enough what was happening even though neither of them had explained themselves yet, but he was damned if he knew what to do about it.

He placed enough trust in Emily and Nolan that they would come clean to him before anything went much further, but for now he was content with humoring them both.

"Hey, Nolan." David answered the door and waved him inside. "Let me guess, you're here for Emily?"

Nolan stepped inside, nodding. "Yep, she told me she liked to play pool and I have just the place."

"No flowers this time?" David asked, taking in his friend's more casual attire. No suit this time, Nolan looked more himself in a pair of chinos and an orange polo, its collar thankfully folded down for once.

_Guy's a tech genius, but he still dresses like a teenager_, David thought ruefully. Nolan's style had gained color over the years, but hadn't gained an ounce of gravity.

"No, why would I? It's not a date, we're just hanging out." Nolan said quickly.

David raised a brow at the younger man, staring him down. "You're sure she knows that?"

"I-"

"Next time we meet, you and I are going to talk." He said firmly. David didn't want to be overbearing with his daughter or his friend, but all the same he didn't like that they had formed a connection and excluded him completely.

"David, we haven't-"

"Nolan, hi." Emily descended the stairs, unknowingly interrupting them. Much like Nolan, she had dressed more casual than when they last met for dinner, she in a chic blouse and a pair of capris, her hair pulled back into a loose curled bun above the nape of her neck.

Nolan smiled as she approached, but faltered when she stepped in close and kissed his cheek right there in front of her father. With that, he was sure she was only trying to embarrass him.

"Bye, dad."

Emily was first out the front door, pulling Nolan along with her and watching this, David eyed him knowingly, to which Nolan could only shake his head and helplessly mouth, "Not a date!"

David rolled his eyes as he heard the two get into Nolan's car and take off, wondering how his little girl had become such a man-eater.

* * *

Rather than take Emily to the Stowaway, Nolan opted instead for The Bait Bucket. Much like the Stowaway, it was a rustic seaside bar complete with a pool table and a few dart boards, but it was more private. Despite speaking of her to the Porters, Nolan wanted to keep Emily to himself for the time being.

If things went well, there would be time enough to bring her around his friends when they next saw each other.

They teased each other over an early dinner of crab legs, boiled crawfish and rice, flirting mercilessly and enjoying themselves every minute. Nolan had given up on keeping Emily at a distance, the woman had thundered through his defenses and would not be denied.

Small wonder that David hadn't tried to convince her to leave him alone, Emily had made up her mind that Nolan was an interesting man to know.

After finishing the meal, neither of the pair were ready to part ways and so turned to drinks and the games. With a margarita for her and a short whiskey soda for him, Nolan winced as Emily sank another ball in the table, her skills leaving him two balls behind her in score.

"You tricked me, Ems. I thought you only played the odd game every once in awhile, but it turns out that you're a pool shark."

She smirked at him over her shoulder. "Don't exaggerate, I'm not that good."

"Au contraire, you're nailing all the stripes." He countered.

Emily leaned her cue against the table where the man lounged, his body relaxed but his expression sharp. Of all the things that Nolan didn't like, losing and being tricked were right at the top of the list.

"Beginner's luck, that's all." She reassured him as she reached for her drink and finished it.

Emily signalled the bartender for another margarita and Nolan scoffed at her comment, "You're a beginner in what, exactly? Life?"

"Very funny." Emily took a seat on the opposite barstool as Nolan took up his cue and moved to the table. "But seriously, I don't play that often. Maybe you're just terrible."

Nolan laughed at her candor and chalked his cue. "Hey, even an old pro can have an off night."

The man bent to the table and aimed, hoping to sink the 4 ball into the left corner pocket. It was Jack who had first taught him how to play, and while Nolan liked the game, it was a rare occasion that he had a date who would play with him.

He struck, and the 4 ball disappeared into the pocket. "Look at that, maybe I'm making a comeback."

"Care to wager on that?"

"Ah, so the lady likes to gamble. All right, Ems, what did you have in mind?" He asked.

Emily looked at him coyly, the alcohol and her attraction to him making her bolder. She stepped in closer, tipping her chin up, daring him with her eyes to kiss her again. In that moment, it was all she wanted. "If I win this game, I want...another kiss."

Nolan tilted his head at her, leaning in close, until his lips hovered just over her own. "Oh, Ems. I would have given you that for free."

Emily pulled back in defiance of his teasing. "Really, Mr. Ross? Then let's keep it open for now."

She took her turn and at last sank the black ball, ending their time at the pool table. She smiled in the face of Nolan's scowl, "How are you at darts?"

* * *

Later on in the night, after several turns of pool and darts, with Nolan besting her at the boards and Emily narrowly winning at the tables, the pair had abandoned games and moved to sit at the bar for the remainder of their time together.

Nolan gestured to the bartender. "I'll have one more." He had a tendency to nurse his drinks throughout a night, slow sips to better savor the notes of the whiskey.

Ever the gentleman, he turned to Emily. "Would you like a water?"

She shook her head as she saw his signature drink appear before them. The whiskey seemed to suit Nolan, somehow. It was charismatic in its simplicity. "No, I'll have whatever you're having."

Nolan raised a brow, "Whiskey? You're sure? You've already had a few margaritas."

"I...sure, I love whiskey." Emily scoffed nervously. "Drink it all the time."

Nolan only shook his head as she ordered the drink, braced herself and downed it quickly, groaning as the whiskey burned its way down her throat. She shook her head and steadied herself against a sudden wave of dizziness.

Nolan noticed her leaning heavily on the counter and suggested, "Emily, I think you've had a little too much. Let's call it a night."

The young woman set her empty glass on the table with exhaggerated care. She bit her tongue, angry with herself now. "I hate that you're right. I'm sorry, Nolan." Emily hung her head. "God, I'm so embarrassed."

At that, Nolan had to laugh. "It's all right, you can't help that you're a lightweight."

"I was just trying to keep up." She explained, hating the petulance in her own voice. She sounded like the young girl Nolan claimed to see, the very reason the man held himself back from her.

_If I get sick in front of him I know I'll die of shame_, she thought, cursing herself._ What the hell was I thinking?_

Nolan put on his jacket and handed over her purse. "Emily you're too skinny to be knocking back whiskey like it's water."

Despite the heat flooding her face, Emily was defiant to the last. "_You're_ calling me skinny?"

Nolan put his arm around her as they left the bar. "Hey, I might be skinny but you forget that I'm a veteran drinker. No worries, I'll take you home."

Their night wasn't winding down in the way he had expected, but despite that, Nolan was glad - he had been right in his belief that Emily was different from the rest. She was anything but predictable.

* * *

The house was dark when they returned, and David's car was not in the drive. Nolan bit his tongue against the laughter that threatened to overwhelm him at Emily's embarrassment. She must have apologized to him a hundred times on the drive back from the bar, and each time Nolan had reassured her that he wasn't angry with her.

Truly, he didn't understand why she was so upset; if anything, seeing her tipsy made him like her that much more, as she was less intimidating now that he knew her capable of being humbled. And besides, who in their life had never had too much to drink?

Parking, the man lead Emily into the house and assisted her in removing her high heels when she stumbled in the living room.

"I'm sorry, Nolan. This wasn't supposed to happen."

Nolan tossed her shoes aside, "Oh, come on, Ems. You had one too many, it's not the end of the world."

"I know, but I didn't want you to see me like this."

He smirked at her, "So really, you're just upset that you broke your own cool-girl persona, huh?"

Emily quirked her lips back at him, "Maybe."

As she was unsteady on her feet, Nolan brought her to the downstairs guest room rather than climb the stairs, his intention just to put her to bed and go home. The night not ending as he might have wanted, but interesting nonetheless.

He shouldered open the door and guided her to sit on the edge of the bed.

"All right, I think this should do it for tonight." He said, amused. This wasn't the first time he'd had to take care of a date who had had just a little too much to drink, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.

Emily, recovered from her humiliation, seemed to recall her attraction to the man.

_Here goes everything_.

"Nolan, will you help me out of this?"

He turned back to her, taking in the look in her eyes; they were nowhere near as unfocused as they had been earlier, Emily was regaining herself by the moment.

Nolan knew what she was doing, but he resolved not to let her win. It was this game between them, the constant baiting and flirt. Distantly, he couldn't help but wonder if she had planned this, if she wasn't actually stone-cold sober and had put on the act just to lure him back to the house when she knew David would be gone and they could be alone. He wouldn't put it past her; Emily was beautifully clever.

Nolan stepped forward and let his hands wander over her back, ignoring the way Emily leaned into him and her soft sigh against his neck. He found the zipper on the back of her blouse and helped her free of the shirt, but as more of her became exposed to his eyes, Nolan's resolve began to crack.

Emily stood before him, nearly topless but for the navy lace of a bra that cupped her breasts, offering them to his temptation.

Dumbfounded, Nolan couldn't help but stare. "All right, there you go, Ems...shirt's off."

Emily rolled her eyes, men and their fixation with breasts was so predictable, but she supposed that she could find a bit of flattery in seeing Nolan so fixated with hers. She stepped closer and put her arms around him.

The cloud of alcohol surrounding her mind had been burned away in a tide of rising lust. She still remembered the kiss from their last date, it had only left her wanting more.

"Nolan, you like me, right?"

The man nodded. Everything in his mind was urging him to run, but his body refused to leave her. "I do."

She leaned in even closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "Then don't leave, you could stay with me tonight."

He knew what she wanted of him, he wanted the same, his body was screaming for it...

But not like this. Not with her too deep into drink and their connection still a secret from her father. If they were to take this turn, then it had to be right.

His hands spanned to her waist and he pulled her forward, pressing against her for a moment, letting her feel the arousal he was fighting. He dragged his teeth over her throat, his voice a low rumble in her ear. Emily lifted her hands to his hair, wanting him, hating him for how he was holding himself back.

"Emily, please believe me, if you were sober then I'd have you up against the wall. But you're drunk, and I am a gentleman."

She swatted his arm for teasing her. "Spoilsport, I'm not drunk, I'm just tipsy." Emily fixed him with a wicked grin, her hand suggestively toying with the strap of her bra. "But tell me...what would you do to me against the wall?"

Nolan pulled her hands away, holding them down at her sides. If she didn't stop her teasing...

"Sorry, if I start thinking about that, then tonight will end up like an after-school special about the dangers of drinking with older men."

Emily tilted her head, "Does the difference in our ages really bother you that much?"

Nolan smiled and dipped his head, dropping a kiss on her bare shoulder. "No. It's how much and how quickly I've come to like you that bothers me so much."

Emily furrowed her brow. "I don't understand."

"I know...I'm not sure I do either."

Her eyes held his, she was so close. Too close.

"Will you stay?"

Nolan shook his head, his voice low. He tried to ignore her hand on his chest. "Not in the bed. I'll sleep on the couch. Do you need anything? I could make you something to eat or get you a glass of water."

"I'm fine." Emily paused before asking him, "Nolan, I didn't ruin our night, did I?"

At that, Nolan had to smile. "What, because of this? No, I still think you're great. I was going to take you home soon anyway."

"You still owe me a kiss." She reminded him.

Nolan obliged, and gave a soft kiss to her cheek.

Emily frowned at him. "You cheater."

Nolan pressed his forehead to hers for a moment, then pulled away. He knew if he kissed her, or even held her for much longer, then there was no way he would leave her room that night. Better to pull away now than face a morning filled with regret.

"That's all you get until you learn to hold your liquor." He touched her hair. "Good night, Ems."

Emily sat back down on the edge of the bed, watching as Nolan shut the door behind him on his way to the living room.

"Night, Nolan."

* * *

It was not the best night's sleep that Nolan had ever had; he didn't like sleeping in his day clothes and the living room sofa was much too short to be comfortable for his height. Blinking, Nolan woke and painfully moved to sit up, trying to stretch as he did so and finding all of his muscles cramped. He cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles, wincing.

He rose and peeked in on Emily, glad to see that she was still sleeping.

_Good, let her sleep it off_, he thought, recalling his own last hangover. Sleep was always the best remedy.

Shrugging, Nolan left her and went into the kitchen, setting up to make a pot of coffee. He'd wake her when it was ready, then maybe take her to breakfast if she was feeling up to it.

Thinking back to the night before, Nolan reasoned that she should feel fine. She had drank more than she should have, but it wasn't as if she'd been passing out or gotten sick from drinking. By the time he'd brought her home, Emily had been herself again.

_Maybe too much herself,_ Nolan thought with an aroused shiver. Damn Emily and her pretty face, her sharp eyes, her warm lips. Damn her and her charm, her sharp sense of humor and the temptation she was to him.

If he had been in the room with her for just a minute longer...

Nolan poured himself a cup of coffee and headed back to sit on the sofa, but he stumbled over one of her shoes and spilled coffee on the front of his shirt.

"Oh, damn it!" Nolan cursed.

Thinking quick, he hustled to the laundry room, stripped off his shirt and popped it into the wash, setting the machine to a quick wash and rinse. It wasn't that he put such a value on his shirt, it was that he couldn't stand food stains on anything he wore.

On hearing the front door open and close, Nolan came out of the laundry room, expecting to see a roused Emily but instead came face to face with David Clarke.

David stopped short on seeing Nolan there, in his house, at barely eight in the morning, shirtless. "Not a date, huh? What the hell is this?" He demanded.

Nolan quickly held up his hands to show innocence. "It's not what it looks like."

"You better hope it's not."

He didn't bother with any pretense, Nolan told David the truth. "I went out with Emily last night and she had a little more than she should have. I stayed over last night, but I didn't touch her, I swear."

David rolled his eyes, "Oh, yeah? And what happened to your shirt?"

"I spilled some coffee, I just put it in the wash." He said, motioning to the washing machine he'd just started.

"Where is she?" David asked, obviously meaning Emily._ I'm going to kill her._

"The guest room. I slept on the couch." Nolan quickly explained, pointing to the throw blanket there.

"Why not just head home?" David asked him.

"She promised me breakfast if I stayed." Nolan lied easily. Emily had said no such thing, but how could he explain to David that he had wanted to leave, he'd had his keys in his hand, but he hadn't been able to leave Emily alone?

David nodded, unnerved by the connection that had formed between them but taking great enjoyment in intimidating Nolan. "Get your shirt back on."

"It's still wet."

"Did I stutter?"

Nolan disappeared into the laundry room, then reappeared a moment later, his shirt still dripping. David looked at him, mussed and miserable with the wet shirt clinging to his body. "That's better."

"It doesn't feel better." Nolan grumbled as he moved into the living room and folded the blanket he'd slept with that night and set it at the end of the sofa. The material felt tight on him, the wetness was chilling and, most annoying of all, the coffee stain remained.

He was just as irritated with David's obvious enjoyment in bossing him, but who could blame the man? Nolan supposed he'd earned it, carrying on with Emily as he had. He should have talked to David before this, and now here they were.

David sank into the chair across from the sofa. "So Emily promised to cook? We're both in luck, girl makes a great omelette. It'll be nice, we can all sit down to breakfast and you can both tell me just what the hell has been going on between the two of you."

"Nolan? I...oh, hi dad." Upon laying eyes on David, Emily immediately closed the neck and tightened the belt of her robe, keeping whatever she had changed into under wraps.

David eyed her skeptically. "Hi yourself. Nolan was just telling me how he had to pour you into bed last night, should I sign you up for AA on Monday?"

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad. I was tipsy, not drunk. I'm fine now, I don't even have a headache." Emily huffed. Nothing had gone as she'd hoped in the last several hours - first she'd humiliated herself in front of Nolan, he had refused to share the bed with her and now, her father had come home and intruded on their morning.

"Good, then in that case you can make me breakfast too." David said carelessly, "I'll have pancakes, but go ahead and make Nolan your specialty. You'll need to impress him now that he's seen you sloppy drunk and dancing on tables."

Nolan gave her a sideways look. "Is there a 'Coyote Ugly' incident in your past that I missed out on?"

Emily looked away from Nolan and moved into the kitchen, hurriedly pulling out the ingredients she would need to make a meal for the main men in her life.

"I, um...no comment." She smiled nervously, "Now, do you like bacon or sausage with your eggs?"


	8. Chapter 8

Emily kept her eyes down, staring at what she knew would be a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast, but any appetite she'd had had been absolutely murdered thanks to the tension hanging over the table.

On her left sat her father, his eyes shifting between his daughter and his friend with varying degrees of irritation even as he was enjoying the strawberry pancakes Emily had made. She understood; David had come home to find what, to him, would look like the morning after a night of rushed, irresponsible sex. She'd made a colossal mess of everything with her father and with Nolan, the shame of her behavior rising in the heat of her cheeks and chest.

_What was I thinking last night? God, I just wanted..._

Emily risked a glance up to the man. On her right was Nolan, who was both holding David's gaze when the man turned to look at him and tucking into his own breakfast. Emily was glad to see that he liked her eggs, at least, but was confused as to why his shirt was wet. What had happened between the men before she'd emerged from the guestroom?

Not a word had been said since they'd all sat down together at the table, the only sound was the scraping of their forks on the plates and the pouring of coffee. If any of them could recall a more awkward breakfast, they kept the memory to themselves.

Nolan glanced up, "Could you please pass the sugar-"

"Okay," David sharply cut in, his voice cracking through the house. "Let's get it out in the open." He gestured to them, pointing with the tines of his fork. "You two are dating."

Both Emily and Nolan mumbled some kind of answer that sounded a lot like "yeah, kinda, guess so" to David. He knew that they were embarrassed to be confronted like this, but he was damned if he was going to make this comfortable for them after what he'd come home to that morning.

David set down his fork. "Look, I'm all right with it - Emily, you're a grown woman. I've never interfered with the boys you saw in middle school or the guys you went out with in high school or college, I didn't even say a word when you were running around with that girl last semester-"

Nolan shot her a look, "Care to explain that?"

"-because you have always had good judgement with the people you get involved with. You've never gotten caught up with the wrong crowd or let anyone lead you into anything that you didn't want." Everything David said about Emily was true: his daughter knew what she was about, but even the best of children still needed to be corrected on occasion - no matter what their age.

Here, David looked at the both of them. "But today, me coming home to find Nolan wandering around the house without a shirt after you two were out drinking all night? That's not happening. I'm fine with you dating, but I'm not fine with you throwing it my face like that."

This time, Emily looked at Nolan. "When did you take off your shirt?"

David went on, "You want to go out to dinner, you want to hang out at the bars on the pier, I have no problem with that. Emily, you just finished school and Nolan, you want to show her around the Hamptons, that's great. It's summer, you get along well, have all the fun you want."

David's reassurance was mildly surprising to them both, but their relief was short-lived.

"But when you two want to have a sleepover, be discreet. Stay over at Nolan's place, which, by the way, I'm still waiting on my invitation." David said pointedly to the younger man.

Nolan quickly swallowed a mouthful of his omelette. "Want to come over for lunch?"

"No. I want to know that my little girl isn't going to end up like another one of your beach bunnies." David told him plainly.

Nolan dropped his fork, his face suddenly heated as he hurriedly cleared his throat. "Aha, that's just Hamptons gossip..."

David eyed him, "Nolan."

Nolan shook his head, "I wouldn't do that to her, David. I promise."

"I feel special." Emily drawled.

She wondered what dirt her father had dug up on Nolan's past, but, she supposed that she would find out on her own soon enough.

"I'd rather that you feel respected," David told her, though his eyes were still on the man.

Nolan shook his head and put a hand over Emily's. David noted that she, almost on reflex, rolled her wrist to link their fingers.

Nolan held Emily's hand but kept his eyes with David. "I do respect her, I wouldn't have slept on the couch last night if I didn't. I was just telling the Porters that I knew she was different right when I met her."

Emily looked up from her plate, to Nolan. "You did?"

Nolan turned to her with a teasing smile, "You're amazing, haven't you heard?"

Emily hesitated, suddenly unsure of what she could say to something like that. She had been complimented before, of course, but words from Nolan carried a heavier weight. For a split second, she remembered what he had told her the night before, that he was bothered by his own affection toward her.

Before Emily could respond, David cut in with more questions.

"Who are the Porters?" For the first time that morning, he was simply curious.

Nolan pulled his eyes off Emily, returning them to her father. "A pair of brothers who run a bar on the marina. I work there on the weekends."

"You work at a bar?" David asked, disbelieving. It seemed that he and Nolan had more to catch up on than he had originally thought.

Nolan nodded, "They need the extra help at the Stowaway, and I owe Jack."

"Why's that?"

"He helped me out of a scrape a couple years back."

Nolan did not elaborate on the point, and was glad that the Clarkes did not press him to explain.

* * *

What remained of breakfast passed with relative ease compared to the tension that had hovered over them at the start of the morning. Emily knew that she owed an apology to her father, and she planned to do so as soon as Nolan departed the house. Likewise, she wanted to apologize to him as well, but not until they were alone once more.

She had humiliated herself, but she was woman enough to know that she had been in the wrong and that it was her responsibility to make things right.

She owed Nolan an apology, true, but it was thrilling to know that Nolan had no interest in dissolving their connection. If anything, he seemed determined to go on if the hand holding her own was any indication.

They finished the meal, Nolan following her into the kitchen with the gathered plates. Wordlessly, he helped her wash, rinse and dry the plates before announcing that it was time he headed back home.

"I'll walk you out," David said, his meaning plain that she was not invited to join them for the short walk down the drive.

The men stepped outside into the bright morning, silent until out of earshot of the eavesdropping Emily.

"David, I'm sorry about this morning. I should have said something before today."

"Yes, you should have." David agreed.

"I didn't want to admit it - it was nothing against her, I mean, if anything, she should be embarrassed to be seen with me. I was more worried because I didn't think you'd like me with her. You don't have to worry that I'll disrespect her, and I stand by it that I won't, you have my word. I like her, she's smart and so much fun-"

"Nolan, I want you to know that this is nothing personal."

Nolan barely had a moment to register what he said before David turned and gave a hard punch to his solar plexus.

It was a hit that Nolan never saw coming, and so sank to his knees as the air escaped his lungs and stars swam before his vision.

David stood over his friend, watching as Nolan struggled to rise, vaguely pleased that he was still strong enough to drop another man, never mind that it was a sucker-punch.

"There. Now, will you be keeping any other secrets from me where my daughter is concerned?" David asked him. He didn't feel guilt for having socked Nolan, the hit was more to drive his point home than to cause him any pain.

From the shock coloring Nolan's face, David's point had been made.

Nolan looked up at him, his normally relaxed face twisting into a resentful scowl. Distantly, he knew he'd earned the hit, but in that moment all he wanted was to rub the smug smile right off David's face. Not that Nolan had much fighting experience to draw from, but he was angry enough to try.

Yes, Nolan was angry, but he was ever rational:_ he couldn't have the girl if he challenged the father._

So, rather than launch a clumsy attack against the broader, stronger, more experienced David, Nolan swallowed his pride and said, "No, sir."

"Good. All the best, Nolan." David shook his hand, gave him a pat on the shoulder and left him in the yard.

Nolan clutched at his side, biting back the urge to curse and instead just watched as David strode back into the house.

"Catch you later, David." He called to the man just before he disappeared inside.

He speared fingers through his hair, finger-combing it, and took a deep breath. This had not been what he'd expected, what had happened between he and Emily the night before, and David's reaction to the situation.

The man approved, so long as Nolan kept his baby girl happy while they were together.

Well.

Emily was special, and more than worth his effort.

Nolan looked up and was startled to catch sight of her watching him from the upstairs window. He hoped that she hadn't seen everything, but he knew better: Emily doesn't miss anything. Ignoring the pain throbbing where David's fist had connected, Nolan straightened to his full height and waved to her.

After Emily waved back at him, Nolan got into his car, and, starting the engine, shrugged to himself with a rueful smile.

_All in all, it's been an interesting morning._

* * *

Nolan sped home, taken with the irrational thought that David was planning to follow him back to his house and finish beating him for the crime of waiting too long to inform the man of his connection to Emily.

_I am paranoid_, he admitted to himself as he checked the rearview mirror yet again, _But_ _that doesn't mean I'm wrong._

It had been some time since he'd last been punched, but he was grateful that David's fist had aimed for his gut rather than his nose, teeth or eye. A bruised belly he could hide, but a bruised face would bring questions from everyone who saw him.

He would have preferred to escape the Clarke house unscathed, but the morning had not been a total loss.

David had given his blessing to Nolan and Emily's newborn relationship. They could see each other and Nolan could even keep her at his house through the night when they were ready to take that step; the thought was thrilling, but he wouldn't pressure her.

They had only just been exposed as dating, sex would come when the time was right.

Nolan parked in the drive and went around to the back of the house, heading to the bar he kept near the pool. He did not break stride as he shoved a handful of ice cubes into a plastic bag and stripped off his still damp polo, tossing it on the ground with a wet _plop_.

The man stretched out on a lounge chair near the pool, set the bag of ice over his middle and closed his eyes, not opening them again for at least another hour when he was stirred by a visiting friend.

"Whoa, what happened to you?"

Nolan blinked, surprised to find Jack looking down at him but then remembering that they had a "date" to watch a NASCAR race and then play the new Call of Duty, a game that wouldn't reach the public for another year.

Nolan glanced down at himself, just a bit pink from laying out in the sun but he knew that Jack meant the darkening bruise, the ice bag having done nothing to keep the color down. The ice bag was now nothing but a bag of water, anyway, and Nolan tossed it aside as he yawned and stretched.

"Oh, this?" He asked, touching the bruise and wincing slightly. "Nothing I didn't earn."

Jack frowned, worry coloring his face. "The docks again?"

"No. Emily's father." Nolan clarified. "I stayed over at their place last night, he was not happy."

"Oh, sorry man."

Nolan stood up and lead the way into the house. "No, no, I think he approves."

Jack raised a brow at him and took a seat on one of the barstools. It was a nice change to be served a drink instead of being the one doing all the serving. "He approves? What makes you say that if he's punching you?"

Nolan went into the kitchen and found a beer for Jack, a bottle of water for himself.

"He shook my hand right after he punched me. The hit was for keeping things a secret from him, the handshake was to show he approved of me spending time with Emily."

Jack twisted off the cap and took a thoughtful sip. "Are you sure you want to be involved with the Clarkes? They seem rough. You got a girl who wanted to call the cops when you met and her dad who plans on socking you every time you make a mistake."

"No, the hit was a one time thing." Nolan waved it off, but his voice was firm. If he had been in David's position, he might have done the same thing, but that was the last free shot anyone would take at Nolan Ross. "It's settled now, Emily and I can be together for as long as she wants to be with me."

"What's that mean?" Jack asked, gratefully accepting the bowl of chips Nolan handed him, one of many snacks the two could devour in the space of minutes.

"Oh, just...I don't know. I'm along for the ride, I guess. Emily is great, but she just got out of school, she's young, she could get bored with me and be with someone else by next week."

"You really think so?"

"I don't want that to happen but I'm trying to stay realistic." Nolan confided. The thought of Emily with anyone else set his teeth to grinding, but as he said, Nolan was a realistic man.

"I wouldn't tell her that." Jack advised.

"Why not? It's the truth."

Jack didn't know where to start with Nolan. He had seen the proof of his friend's genius but when it came to dating, Jack had to wonder at Nolan's lack of experience. He was a full decade older than Jack but rarely dated and as far as he knew, Nolan had had only two notable relationships: the first had been a girl that he had been with while studying at MIT and the other, a man Nolan had briefly worked with before they'd had some kind of falling out, though Jack didn't know many details.

"Listen to me, all right? No girl wants to hear that you don't think you're worth keeping." Jack went on, "You're a good guy Nolan. Smart, funny, generous, the whole nine yeards. The sooner you start believing that, the better."

Nolan smiled. It wasn't often that he received genuine compliments. "Jack, you know just what to say."

"Hey, keep in in your pants, Ross." Jack warned him playfully, shoving at his shoulder as he came around the kitchen counter to retrieve another beer for himself.

Nolan shoved him back as they headed to the living room, their arms loaded with snacks, and he was loving it, loving that he had someone he could talk to and joke with like this. "You should be so lucky. Give me the chance and I'll rock your world."

Laughing, Jack shook his head. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

"You ever change your mind, you know where to find me." Nolan said, all sing-song and lisping silliness.

"It's talk like that that got you in trouble last time, Nolan. You need to be careful."

"I know, I know. The world is full of morons." He sighed.

Jack's warnings were rooted in the concerns of a true friend, Nolan knew that, but on a level it did hurt to know he could not live in the world with the same freedom that any other man took for granted.

"Thanks." Jack said flatly.

"You know I don't mean you." Nolan reassured him and swept his hand out, gesturing out to the view below his house, to the pier, the docks, the town, the state, the whole world full of people that would choose to remain ignorant in the face of changing times. "I meant _them_."

"I know." Jack said quietly, and he wished that he had the power to change things for his friend, but the thought struck him, "Have you told Emily?"

The men set their drinks and the food on the table, Nolan turned on the television and selected the channel for the race.

"No. It hasn't come up yet and I don't know what to say. I've never had to come out and actually _tell_ anyone before." Even now, with Jack, he was vaguely uncomfortable discussing this facet of his life.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, "You told me and Dec."

Nolan rubbed at the back of his neck, thinking back to that horrible night, years ago but never too far from his thoughts. "That was...Jack, you found out on accident."

He set his beer down and muted the television, all attention on his friend. "Hang on, you mean you wouldn't have told me?"

"Probably not. It wasn't the easiest thing to admit back then. Or now."

Jack moved to face Nolan fully, looking him in the eyes to make sure he was understood. "Nolan, you know Dec and I don't care about that. We never have, even before you and I met. I know we haven't talked about it since then, but I guess it needs to be said now. We wouldn't have quit being friends just because you like guys, and while we're on the subject, it's not like we didn't have our suspicions in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

Jack bit his tongue to keep from going for the obvious clues, such as Nolan's hair, clothing and gestures, but said instead, "I mean you never try to hide who you are, so when we found out it wasn't any kind of shock. The only thing that surprises me is that you thought we'd reject you for it. This isn't the 1950s, it's a different time. I don't care, and neither does Dec - hell, Declan skateboards with a couple of gay kids."

"I'm not gay." Nolan quietly reminded him.

"Gay, bi, whatever. You've always been a little different, but you've always just been Nolan to us. Keep on being Nolan with her. Emily likes you already, and if she's as great as you say then I don't think she'll turn out to be the type to cut things short just because you both like Channing Tatum or whoever." Jack said, dismissively.

At that, Nolan let himself laugh, just a bit. "I've met him, he's not my type."

Jack reached over and lightly punched his shoulder. "Come on, Nolan. Buck up. Tell her when you're ready, but until then, let things go on as they have been and you'll be fine."

"You're a good friend, Jack." Nolan smiled.

"So are you. Don't worry yourself out of something good with this girl."

As the race began, Nolan sat back, his eyes unseeing while his thoughts filled with mingled worry and hope.


	9. Chapter 9

David flexed his hand as he watched Nolan drive away from the house. He didn't regret striking the younger man; in his mind he saw it as a fitting way to warn Nolan against keeping any further secrets from him where Emily was concerned, and to reinforce his sole command that his daughter be treated with respect.

Necessary, given what David had come home to that morning.

Both Emily and Nolan had sworn that they had behaved themselves, but what father could truly believe their story? He was well aware that Emily was a grown woman, but David was still her father and while she lived under his roof, Emily would obey his rules. He didn't see a need for honesty between them as being so overbearing. He and Emily had always been honest with each other, they'd had to be, and they'd had very few bumps in their relationship. David didn't want to start the summer off with any problems.

"Emily, get down here." He called, finally turning away from the window as Nolan's car turned a corner and disappeared from view.

Slowly, shame-faced, Emily descended the stairs. "Dad."

"I guess you saw that outside?" He asked, meaning his parting gift to Nolan.

"Yes."

"We need to talk."

"I know."

David shook his head, "I meant what I said before, I'm not angry with you two."

"They why did you hit Nolan?" Emily demanded, her eyes flashing.

David raised his brows at her. "I hit him for keeping this thing between you two a secret. And don't worry about Nolan, he's more resilient than you know. But now that he's gone, I need to know the truth about what happened last night."

"What do you mean? What truth?"

David sighed and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee. "I wasn't born yesterday, all right? What happened after you left the bar and came back to the house?"

Emily cleared her throat and crossed her arms. She hated this, being interrogated like a teenager busted the morning after being out past curfew, but she knew she had earned her father's suspicions. Everything had a price, even happiness.

She moved to sit down on the couch and absently stroked the folded throw blanket that Nolan had used the night before. "We had a great time at the bar, everything was going fine until I messed it up. I'd already had margaritas, but then I ordered a whiskey, the same thing he'd been drinking. It was too much."

David crossed over from the kitchen to sit in the chair across from her. "You didn't get sick, did you?"

Emily shook her head, "No, thank God! I would have died of embarrassment if that happened."

"You didn't die in 2011, remember that?" David asked, teasing her with the mortifying memory of how she'd foolishly downed two Long Island iced teas on an empty stomach and spent all night sick while everyone else rang in the new year.

"No, I didn't die, I just wanted to." Emily smiled, lightly rolling her eyes. "Anyway, Nolan drove us back here. He said he wasn't mad at me or anything, but I couldn't apologize enough. I felt like I ruined everything and he wouldn't want to see me anymore."

"What made you think that?" David couldn't help wondering why it was that women always seemed to think the world would end when a man saw them in a bad moment. "You got a little drunk, it's not like you were out of control, right?"

"I know, I just didn't want him to see me like that." Emily said, knowing her father couldn't understand.

She was still growing up; she wanted to be seen as elegant and mature by people, not just by Nolan, while at the same time she still had her share of silly impulsiveness that could paint her in a bad light if she wasn't careful.

"It's an easy fix, just don't drink the next time you see him. But go on," David said, urging her to continue her story.

"We came back here and Nolan helped me out of my shoes and instead of going upstairs, he took me into the guest room," she said, gesturing to the door at the back of the house.

"And he didn't...pressure you into anything?" He struggled to ask.

David had always been hesitant to speak of sex with his daughter; this was a realm of conversation that had rarely opened between them. As she had grown up, David had been eternally grateful for the support of the mothers of all Emily's grade school friends who had taken the girl under their wings, helping her along with their own daughters to understand the trials of a growing girl: the shopping trip for her first training bra (plain white cotton with a tiny blue bow between the A cups), explaining what to do when her first period came (the most horrifying experience of Emily's life to date), and how to experiment with makeup, many of the tricks she'd learned then she still used to this day.

Emily leaned forward and cradled her head in her hands, "No, he didn't try anything-"

David breathed a sigh of relief.

"-but I tried to get him into bed."

And just as quickly, he bit back a hard curse.

"F-! I don't like where this is going." He said, immediately uncomfortable.

"You said you wanted to know." She reminded her father, almost enjoying his embarrassment now. "It was so pathetic and cliché, dad. I could just die. I got him to help me out of my shirt, like something out of a lame porno-"

David quickly stood up, "All right! That's enough, just stop, I can't picture this."

"He didn't do anything, dad. I swear he didn't do anything." Emily reassured him.

"You're sure?"

"100%. Nolan didn't touch me. When I asked why, he said it was because he liked me too much."

David nodded as he moved into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator for himself. He considered his daughter's claim, that Nolan had shown restraint even when tempted by - _not thinking about that._

"Well, I said I approve as long as he treats you well, and I mean it. You're both grown, you can do what you want. But keep me in the loop, honey, don't let me find out that you two eloped after the fact or that he got you knocked up six months into it."

"Trust me, dad, that's not happening," Emily laughed. She loved her father's sense of humor, but she understood his point.

"Then we're back on track. What are your plans for today?"

Emily hesitated. There was more that she wanted to tell him, but she stopped herself. It was enough for one morning, they had all summer.

"Do you think I should go and apologize to Nolan?"

David shook his head, "No, give the guy a breather. Besides, there are some people I'd like you to meet this weekend."

Emily held back from rolling her eyes. "Another party?"

"It's the Hamptons in the summer, all these people do is party."

She sighed lightly. "All right, I'll pick out a dress."

* * *

Nolan let Jack take the new Call of Duty game back to the Stowaway so that Declan could play, so long as they promised to keep the disc under wraps. If it was leaked that Nolan made a habit of "borrowing" prototype games from his company's top clients and letting his friends play, then he might have to deal with an angry phone call the next time he was in the office.

With Jack gone, their game over and the race having ended, Nolan was left on his own at the house with his thoughts. Inevitably, they turned to Emily; she had not texted and he had to assume that she was taking a step back from him - either that or, and here he grimaced at the thought, David had grounded her and taken away her cell phone.

He dismissed the thought. Really, he was using the difference in their ages as an excuse to hold her at arm's length. He didn't want to let himself fall for her and then be hurt when she ended things. And she would end things, he knew. Despite all of Jack's efforts to prop him up, Nolan was well aware of his own faults, faults that would begin to wear on Emily to the point where she would cut ties.

She was beautiful and bright, she made him laugh and she was alluring - just thinking back to those few stolen moments in the Clarke house guest room were enough to make him shiver in remembered arousal. He had been so close to losing control and pushing her back onto the bed...

_Can't let that happen again._

The man shook off those thoughts and instead went about his day: checking his e-mails from work, watering his plants and feeding the fish, then running about to his bedroom and choosing his outfit for his next visit to Nolcorp. These were deliberate tasks to take his mind off of the odd morning he'd had.

After another hour of tapping and sweeping his fingertips over the screen of his tablet, Nolan sighed. How could it be that he was bored when separated from Emily? He'd only just met her and he hadn't been bored all that time before seeing her...the man stretched and thought that he might send her a gift. A "just because" gift of flowers, but he thought better of it as he'd brought her peonies the night they kissed. Maybe jewelry, the cost was of no issue, but jewelry usually needed an occasion to be given.

A part of him was angry with himself for not having made more of an effort to date in his adult life; here he was, a grown man, and he didn't even know the proper time to give a woman jewelry! He made a mental note to ask Jack, or hell, even Declan, about it when he next saw them.

Flopping onto the sofa, Nolan turned on the television and stared at it, unseeing, uncaring, while thoughts of Emily flowed in and out of his mind. Emily naked with him in various positions, he and Emily dressed up to attend a movie premiere in Los Angeles or a museum opening in Europe, Emily splashing him in his pool...he irritated himself, thinking of her all the time.

_I can't obsess_, he chided himself.

He had other things to concern himself with, other things to worry over and over 500 employees who depended on him. Shaking away the new vision of Emily riding him while wearing a masquerade mask, Nolan got off the sofa and reached for his tablet once more.

Scrolling through his social calendar, he tapped out an RSVP to each invitation that found its way into his inbox.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been three days since Emily and Nolan had last seen each other, without even so much as a text between them. It seemed a wise decision, met in mutual silence, to take a step back and refocus themselves for a time. Emily understood the need for distance, but as she reclined under the oversized umbrella for the third day in a row of lounging shoreside, she couldn't help but think of him.

At night, she imagined the man coming into her room, while during the day she often found herself picturing him in whatever situation her mind could conjure, from whether or not he liked sushi to what he would do in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.

On this particular day, Emily was not alone, and she had not been able to contain herself any longer; she had finally given in to Ashley's none-too-subtle questions and given her friend the explanation she'd been after all along.

Emily told of her first visit to his house, their dinner at Silver's, their kiss and then, what Emily deemed, the Bait Bucket Disaster: the perfect storm of alcohol and humiliation.

For her part, Ashley sat silent through her stories, but then in all her posh British wisdom, she called Emily "mental" on learning of her connection to the man.

Emily laughed at her, "What's so crazy about it?"

Ashley swept her hair away from her face as the wind picked up. The girls had found a few hours to spend together that afternoon, and did as all summering girls did, by whipping up cocktails, chips, guacamole, salsa and gossip.

Regarding Nolan, Ashley had several stories to tell, tales she would embellish because of her dislike for the man, of course, but all the same Nolan had a habit of getting under her skin.

Despite their new connection, or perhaps because of it, Emily only knew the best of Nolan; she didn't know how devious he could be.

Of course, Ashley had no way to prove that Nolan was behind it all, but she was sure that he had been the one to cause the mischief of overriding the music at the Taylor's ball just a few weeks ago to play some filthy rap selection at top volume, and infecting her own tablet with a virus that flooded the screen with pornography.

Nolan had annoyed her before these incidents, of course, with his flirting, his probing questions and then, with that damn smirk that seemed to say he'd found something she'd tried to keep hidden...and that could be many things.

Ashley struggled to find the right words to encapsulate her emnity against him. "He's just so...Nolan!"

Ashley said this as if the man's name was enough to encapsulate his every fault.

Emily only sipped her drink, smiling thoughtfully. "You're right about that."

* * *

The party had been in full swing by the time David and Emily arrived; the family hosting the party, the Timores, were, as far as Emily could tell from what she'd heard from her father and Ashley, no different than any other family of influence in the Hamptons. The husband was a hedge fund manager, his wife a chairwoman of several different charities and a fine trophy for his arm, their children a bit younger than Emily herself, both of them abroad for the summer.

Their home was a beach front property, as most homes were in the Hamptons, and filled to bursting with guests, catering staff, food and music. David had been in talks to join the Timore firm, though he hadn't signed on yet - he preferred his lone wolf way of consulting, but there were many benefits to being part of a team.

He liked these parties, though after greeting several old colleagues and the hosts, he noticed that Emily, ever by his side, was growing restless.

"Try not to sulk," David said, nudging her in the ribs with his elbow. "It's a party, not a death march."

Emily snorted at his joke, "Come on, dad, I'm not that bad."

"You were quiet in the car on the way over and you look a little shifty now, everything all right?"

She shrugged as she took two flutes of champagne from a passing waitress and handed one to him. "I'm fine, really. The DJ is good," she said, gesturing to the improvised dance floor, which was filling with guests of all ages to an interesting Journey remix.

David tasted the champagne - it was good, and had been mixed with fruit to complement the summer. He shrugged, "I'll introduce you to some more of the people I've worked with later, but go on, you're free to mingle and if I'm not mistaken, I see a couple friends of yours."

Emily looked over to where David was pointing and couldn't help her smile. At the front foyer, she could see Ashley and Nolan in a heated argument.

"Dad, do you mind if I-?"

David nodded, "Go on, but try to stay out of trouble tonight."

"Thanks, I promise I'll be back to schmooze." Emily kissed her father on the cheek before approaching the pair at the front of the house.

As she made her way toward them, weaving around the other guests and staff, she could hear more and more of their conversation.

"-just like you always do!"

"Oh, this again? What, you think I just sit at home all day plotting against people?"

"It wouldn't surprise me for a second." Ashley hissed.

"If I'm that good then you ought to be a little nicer to me, wouldn't want anything personal to make its way into, say, Victoria Grayson's inbox."

Ashley's eyes went wide, "You wouldn't dare-!"

Emily didn't want them drawing more attention to themselves, and hurriedly interrupted. "Ashley, Nolan, hi!"

Nolan looked up, his expression immediately softening. "Oh, Emily."

"Nolan, I didn't know you would be here." Emily smiled, so happy to see him. Her chest fluttered and she could feel heat blooming up her throat, clear signs of her regard, and wished she wasn't so obvious.

"He's not supposed to be," Ashley cut in, irritation clear in her tone. "I don't have your name on the guest list, so you need to leave."

Emily frowned to see her friend's dislike of the man in action. Nolan, however, wasn't fazed. "Are you sure about that? I told you to check again, Ash."

Before she could bat his hand away, Nolan reached forward and tapped the screen, which flashed for a split second. Ashley scowled to see that, yes, the name **Nolan Ross** now appeared on the list. She glared at him and shook her tablet, "Nolan, how did you-?"

"I have the magic touch, babe." Nolan was smiling but his eyes cut into hers. He was enjoying this immensely.

_Bastard_.

"Be nice and I'll work my magic again to clear up that mystery virus for you." He said easily, the very fact that he knew anything about it being proof enough for her that, yes, he was the cause of the initial infection.

"And why would I let you even look at my tablet twice?" Ashley demanded.

Nolan shrugged, glancing to Emily who still stood at his side, bemused at their bickering. "It'll be a favor since you're Emily's friend. No funny business, I promise."

Ashley looked from him to Emily, then back to him again before surrendering her tablet. "Somehow I know I'll regret this."

"There's always a chance of that." Nolan agreed as he took it.

The two girls waited patiently as Nolan tapped and swept his fingertips across the lit screen, then he held down the 'power' button to reboot the thin machine.

"There you go," Nolan carefully passed it back to her. "It's been fun, Ash, but if you don't mind..."

Nolan looped his arm through Emily's and lead her away, deeper into the party. Now the urge to cause trouble was satisfied, he had other, more pressing urges to attend to.

Ashley watched as Nolan lead Emily toward the tables that had nearly buckled under the weight of ice sculptures and food before she looked over her tablet. The programs had been restored, but the background picture and lock screen were different.

On seeing them, Ashley couldn't restrain herself from yelling his name in a minute fit of rage.

"Nolan!"

* * *

Excited to be spending time with him again, Emily squeezed his hand as he drew her through the crowd. "I didn't know that you would be here."

Nolan smiled, "I don't usually come out for these parties, but I...might have had a look at the guest list and decided to crash this shindig. I hope you don't mind."

"Mind?" Emily shook her head. "You've got to be kidding me, Ashley is the only one I would want to talk to but she's working. Talk to me, dance with me, please."

"If the lady insists."

"This lady demands!" She laughed, "What have you been doing for the last few days? Practicing your _crochet_ hobby, right?"

Nolan cleared his throat. Obviously she knew he'd never sewn a thing in his life and his hobby was a bit more mischievous than making tea cozies. "Maybe a little. I saw your dad trying to show you off."

Emily rolled her eyes lightly. "I know, he brought me out tonight so I can meet about a hundred of his past clients and investors. But since you're here I can finally talk to a normal person."

"Normal, me? Ems, I'm insulted." Nolan feigned a look of irritation that immediately fell away when she raised her brows at him in challenge.

"Let me make it up to you, dance?"

"I can't really dance. I can sway." He offered.

She smiled _that_ smile, and winked. "I'll take it."

Nolan followed her onto the sparsely crowded dance floor and assumed the position: one hand resting on her waist, the other holding her hand. He was thankful that the music was mid-tempo, something light and a bit playful. No need for any real skill, they could sway in circles and he wouldn't embarrass himself by looking down at their feet every few seconds.

Emily's free hand was resting on his shoulder, and they were content to sway and smile at each other, their grins being more genuine than what they had shown to the other party guests. It wasn't that Emily disliked anyone in attendance or thought herself above them, it was only that she would have been happier to have been somewhere else - back under the big umbrella with Ashley or playing darts with Nolan at the Bait Bucket.

"What's with that look?" Emily asked, noting the sly look passing over his face.

Under her hand, Nolan lifted and dropped his shoulder in a signature shrug. "Just thinking how fast things can change in the space of a few years."

"What do you mean?"

"A few years ago, I'd never even been to the Hamptons, let alone been invited to these summer parties."

"You weren't invited," Emily reminded him, quirking her brow.

"Ah, that's just details." He said dismissively. "But now, after years of building up the business, here I am with the prettiest girl at the party and Daniel Grayson trying not to be caught staring at us."

Emily couldn't help herself, she turned her head and saw Daniel there, amid his friends, staring right at her. Their eyes met for a moment, but Emily broke the eye contact to look back at Nolan. He quirked his lips at her, "Smooth, Ems. That wasn't obvious at all."

"I didn't mean to. Why's he staring? I told him I didn't want..." Emily trailed off, seemingly talking to herself.

Nolan tilted his head, wondering at her connection with Daniel. He was tempted to do his own investigation, but he had to respect her privacy. Women loved to have their secrets, he knew. He suspected whatever had been between them had ended, but Emily seemed unnerved by the boy's silent attention.

"Do you need me to be your shield for tonight?" He asked.

Things had not gone well for him the first time he'd faced off with Daniel, but this was now, and he would do what he had to do to keep Emily secure.

Emily nodded. "I didn't plan this, but if you don't mind."

Out of the corner of his eye, Nolan could see Daniel Grayson and his friends across the room, suited up with drinks in hand, all of them just waiting to take the place of their fathers. "Do you want to go somewhere more quiet?" He asked, cocking his head toward the nearby shore. For the conversation he wanted to have with her, they didn't need to risk anyone eavesdropping.

Emily nodded, letting him lead the way. "Please."

* * *

Mirroring their first visit to the beach near his home, Nolan gave Emily his light jacket for protection against the ocean spray that blew over them with each wave. He did not waste time. "Was your father very upset with you about the other day?"

Beside him, Emily shrugged. "Only for keeping it a secret. Everything else...I told him the truth."

"That's good." Nolan said vaguely. He hoped Emily had kept quiet about what had went on between them in the bedroom before he'd left her, but he could never be sure with this woman. That was the main reason he had grown so fond of her.

"I saw him hit you, and I'm sorry about that."

Nolan shook his head. "Don't be, you're worth a bruise. He only did that to make me think twice before I keep another secret where you're concerned."

"He told me the same thing, but we don't that've to tell him _everything_." She said playfully.

He glanced back to the party still going strong at house, the laughter and chatter carrying over to them. He felt restless at the idea of going back there, having to watch Emily put up with the arrogance of the young men trying to impress her while he would be swarmed with those wanting a good faith investment in their new tech start-ups.

Why stay and suffer through that hassle when he had a house perfect for company?

"Do you want to get out of here?"

Emily looked up, blinking in surprise. "What - to your house?"

He shook his head to reassure her. "No pressure Ems, but it'd be nice to get away for a little while. Unless you'd rather get back to the trust fund crowd..."

"Lead the way, Mr. Ross."

* * *

Nolan opened the door, letting her walk in ahead of him. He followed, turning on the lights as they advanced further inside. There was a thread of tension between them, unspoken and unfulfilled.

"My humble abode." Nolan said, turning on the overhead lights in the living room and the patio lights just outside the back door.

"What happened to all the Girl Scout cookies?" Emily asked on seeing his kitchen cleared of the colorful boxes.

"I cleaned house and passed them out to the staff." Nolan noted her faint look of disappointment, but there was nothing for it now. "No more Thin Mints, but can I get you a drink?"

"Anything but whiskey." Emily said, smiling.

Nolan bowed at the waist, "Yes ma'am."

Emily slipped off her heels and crossed the living room, heading out to the patio. It had been only weeks since she'd first visited this place, but that had been during the day and the ocean beyond his home stretched out to forever. At night, one could barely make out the water that lapped at the shore below. All else was blackness.

Nolan emerged from the house and stepped to her side, offering a hard pink lemonade. "Here you are."

Emily took an experimental sip, letting the tart sweetness shiver its way through her. "Mmm, thank you sir."

Together they stood, enjoying their drinks and the warm salty breeze. Nolan glanced down and, hesitantly, he reached to touch her free hand with his own. Emily smiled but said nothing as she returned his light grasp.

Still silent, she took his empty glass and her own, half-finished, and set them on the patio table before going to him, leaning into the man for the comfort of his secure hold. She liked this, the way Nolan hugged her to him, the way they fit.

Nolan dipped his head, pressing his lips to her own. They kissed with lazy affection at first, a subtle probing of tongues to complement the exploration of their hands. Nolan held her at the waist before smoothing his hands up her back and curving forward to rest over her shoulders, then up, to cup her face. Emily was not passive to his touch; her own hands had bunched into the material over his chest, wrinkling his shirt.

In between planting kisses to her lips, her cheek, her jaw and her throat, Nolan murmured the question to her, "Mmm...Ems, what are we doing?"

Had she been able, Emily would have ignored his question. It was too much effort to think, to even reflect that she now had a nickname he had bestowed on her; how could she focus on anything but the sure hands that held her, the soft kisses that touched her? Heat was steadily rising within, sweeping over her chest and throat. She never lied to herself. She wanted this man, she wanted him _now_.

"I don't know. Don't stop." She breathed, pulling him closer so that she could nuzzle into his neck. She breathed in his scent, dizzying herself for a moment.

Nolan shivered, thrilled by her touch but reason still held in his mind. "I don't want to...but we have to."

Emily drew back from him, "Nolan, why? What's stopping you?"

"Ems. If this is just a summer fling for you..."

"What?"

Nolan stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "If you just want a night or two, I'll understand, but I want more than that."

"More?"

"I told you the other night. I like you, I want to see more of you." He said plainly.

There was no hidden motive in what he was telling her, Nolan was speaking the truth. He had no plan to propose or even to ask that she take a place in his home; he only knew that he cared for Emily and he wanted her in his life, but only if she wanted it too.

With his words, he had placed their future in her hands.

Emily blinked at him. "You do?"

"Yes."

She hesitated. "Nolan I care about you, you know that, but...I'm not sure. I can't say where this will go."

He kissed her palm, then the inside of her wrist, and nodded. "I understand."

"I'm sorry."

"No, Ems, don't say that you're sorry." He smoothed his hand down her arm. "There's nothing to be sorry about. Do you want me to take you home?"

"No." She kissed his cheek. "If its all right with you, I'd like to stay."

"I don't mind at all. I like the company."

He took a step back from her, about to offer her something to eat, or to put on a film, or set up a game, when she surprised him again.

"Will you take off your shirt?"

Nolan started, "Take off-? Why?"

"I want to see the damage." Emily said, meaning where her father had struck him.

He eyed her, a spark lighting inside of him, some defiance stirring within that had him turn the tables on her. "You first."

His words seemed to silence the waves and the wind, the dare of a man to a woman.

Emily stood before him, barefoot, watching his eyes. They were burning into her, all blue fire.

She looked back at him, defiant, and didn't break her stare as she reached to her back, unzipping her dress and writhing out of the garment. With a quick shimmy of her hips and shoulders, the material pooled at her feet.

Emily stood before him, silent, every bit a woman confident in her beauty and in her power to captivate the man standing before her. And Nolan was captivated. How had this happened? How was it that he had daydreamed of Emily in this way a hundred times, and now she was standing before him in two scraps of lace, unafraid, daring him with her eyes to take her?

Nolan loosened his tie and cleared his throat. He couldn't speak and his eyes never left her form. Long, lean legs, a tiny dip of a waist, small pert breasts, long thin arms, soft hands tipped in polished nails. He wanted her hands on him, he wanted her legs wrapped around his waist. He wanted all this, and distantly, he was aware of how his expression betrayed him, how the fire in his eyes made his humor fall flat.

"Emily, you're way out of my league." He finally said.

She put her hands on his face. "Nolan, don't say that."

"All right, but you're still prettier than I am." He pressed his lips to the curve of her cheekbone.

Emily laughed and shoved at him playfully. "Well, I would hope you wouldn't like me if I looked like a man."

"Ah...yeah." Nolan didn't comment further on that, in this moment it was all about her. "So, you look pretty fit. Pilates?"

She wasn't distracted by his questions or his jokes. He had dared her, and now it was his turn to prove himself.

"Nolan, now you."

Nolan straightened to his full height, stepping forward so that she could see him as he had watched her. He loosened his tie and tossed it on the patio table, with his jacket and shirts quickly following. He slid out of his shoes, socks and pants, leaving them piled on the floor. In less than a minute, Nolan was standing before her in a plain pair of navy boxer briefs.

"Am I all you dreamed I would be?" He asked her, feigning arrogance when inside he was shivering with insecurity. He wondered if Emily was doing the same thing, but it was too late to turn back now.

Her curiosity and his dare had taken them this far.

Emily stared at him, taking in the creature before her. Nolan was tall, his form that of a fencer - lithe, agile, not an ounce of fat to speak of. The jockeys he wore hugged his thighs, doing nothing to hide his obvious state of arousal.

"Yes." Emily walked around him, the slow circle of the shark within. Admirably, Nolan remained still and did not reach to touch her, nor did he protest when she smoothed her hand over his left shoulder, then over the top of his chest, just under his collarbones, over his right shoulder and then, over the narrow expanse of his back. She paused, and he drew in a breath because he knew what she had found.

The scar was no real bother to him, but he'd had to explain it to his every lover in the past few years. Just once, and especially _this_ just once, Nolan would have liked to forget that night. He didn't want to speak, he wanted to close his eyes and enjoy the feel of Emily's hand smoothing over him again. All men were dogs, and Nolan loved being petted.

"How did you get this?"

"Rough night on the docks." He answered easily, his eyes slipping closed as she resumed her slow turns around him, her hands exploring him respectfully. It was strange, to be touched, provoked in such a way. If Emily had been anyone else, they would already be in bed at this point in the evening, but as he had told her, Emily was special. He kept his arms at his side and managed to keep his breathing even as Emily embraced him from behind. She pressed her cheek to his shoulder blade, her hands coming forward to wrap around him, her fingertips moving down from his chest, lower, over his belly and then, just under his navel. He felt her lips touch his scar.

Nolan caught her hand and finally opened his eyes, turning around to face her.

"What happened?"

"A bunch of rowdy guys came after me one night after a shift at the Stowaway but Jack chased them off."

"Jack Porter? I'll thank him for that when I meet him."

Emily stepped in close, molding her body to his, feeling him, letting him feel her. Nolan held her, his hands smoothing up and down her back, but even then she could sense his restraint.

"Ems...I should take you home now."

She squeezed the hand that held hers, "I trust you."

"This isn't like the other night. I won't be able to keep my hands to myself."

"You don't have to."

"Emily..."

"Nolan, please. I need you to understand. I never went far with the boys in high school, and in college...they weren't like you. Sometimes I made mistakes because I was lonely, but this isn't one of those times. I'm here because I want this, and I need you to trust me enough to believe me when I say that."

"Emily...if you're sure."

"I am."


	11. Chapter 11

He wasn't sure why he had done it, leave the party so abruptly, giving no excuse and ignoring the questions of the other guests who'd asked after him as he'd strode out, intent for his car and then, intent for the familiar house above the shore cliffs. He normally didn't behave this way, but Emily had changed things since their first meeting, she'd changed him.

He knew it, but hadn't been sure what to do about it until he'd seen her at the party.

Wearing a spring dress and gold sandals, her hair loosely twisted, she'd looked so amazing and he'd wanted nothing more than to leave with her, to have her to himself again.

His foot pressed down on the gas, the sleek vehicle hugging the turns of the road and then stopping on the driveway that pulled into the front of the house. This was not rational, this wasn't him, he never behaved this way.

Daniel rubbed his face and sat in his car, the engine idling. _What am I doing here? Better yet, what the hell is she doing here with him?_

The thought of Nolan putting his hands on Emily, and Emily welcoming it, had been enough to pull him from the party, to follow after them to the house.

He couldn't understand it, how the two of them had met, let alone become involved, but it had frustrated him since he'd seen them together at Silver's.

Glancing up, Daniel saw Nolan's car was there, and inside the house some of the lights were on. They were inside the house, together.

_I have to talk to her, but not like this_, Daniel reasoned. How would it look, him following theto from the party to...to what? Punch out Nolan and drag Emily out by her hair?

On a primitive level, the idea held appeal. But he knew that he could find a better way.

Daniel threw his car into gear and tore away from Nolan's house.

* * *

In all honesty, Emily hadn't expected the night to take this turn. She expected to spend the party at her father's side, being polite to whoever she met, munching her way through the buffet table and sipping champagne. Her night had been meant to end at the beach house with her father in his room and Emily in hers, sleeping alone and I disturbed until her alarm shrieked her awake the next morning.

Yet here she was.

At the home of Nolan Ross, wrapped in the arms of the man, she felt lightheaded, giddy, a wave of silliness was rising through the heat. She had never had this before: someone she cared about, someone who cared about her, their wit a match for the other.

Nolan felt the breeze cross over his exposed back, and opened his eyes. They were outside, still on the patio. They could continue on, he knew. It would be nothing to lay her down on the lounge...

Perhaps Nolan was greedy, but he hated the idea that Emily might be seen. It was unlikely, as even his nearest neighbor had no view of the backyard, but still, their first time deserved a bit more intimacy than that.

He backed her toward the door. "Emily, inside."

She did not protest.

Nolan lead the way to his bedroom, standing away from Emily as she stepped over the threshold of the doorway, taking in the new surroundings. He let her have time to survey his room, his most private space, and he took the time to regain control of himself. Blood was pumping through him, hard and fast, even as he simply watched the woman stepping about his bedroom, her eyes drawn to the view over the shore, the pictures on the little desk he'd kept since his first apartment in college, the worn paperbacks lining the shelf above it. He wanted her to keep looking, to distract herself long enough to let him regain control over his arousal.

"I have a few of these books." Emily said.

Nolan blinked, "Sorry?"

She was standing near his desk, barefoot, wearing only a lace bra and panties, holding one of his books.

" 'A Wrinkle In Time', I have a copy." She repeated.

For once, Nolan couldn't think of anything to say. The blood that usually coursed through his brain had flowed elsewhere. Emily set the book aside and returned to him, twining her arms around his waist. He closed his eyes and he could feel her palm over his scar; he wanted this, but again he had to ask, "Emily, if it's too soon-"

"Nolan."

He rested his hands over her shoulders, "You and I, we'll still be all right, you don't have to do anything you don't want-"

"Nolan, please listen to me. I know what you're doing, giving me an out, but I don't need one. I don't want one. I want to stay with you." An idea occurred to her, "Unless you don't want this, do you want me to leave?"

"No." He said firmly. "No, I want you to stay, I do. I just...I don't want this to be something you regret in the morning." He confessed. It was the truth; he wanted her in his bed, but not if Emily was unsure, not at the risk of ruining this new connection.

Emily shook her head. "Nolan, whatever this is, whatever it'll be in the morning, it won't be a regret."

"Is that a promise?" He asked, wondering how she could be so sure about this.

"It's the only promise I can make."

Nolan bent his head to kiss her then, guiding her backward, to the bed. Emily sat down on the edge and moved to the center, making room for him to join her. She watched as Nolan followed her onto the bed, crawling toward her on his hands and knees like an animal, she could see the muscles of his shoulders moving beneath the skin.

He came in closer to kiss her, his hands bolder now, pulling her to him and moving to her back to unfasten her bra. Emily shivered as the lace fell away and her breasts became exposed to the man. He wasted no time, his hands reaching to touch her, caressing lightly, smoothing his fingertips over her chest as she had done to him earlier, exploring the canvas of her soft, fair skin.

Emily closed her eyes, her breathing grown deeper with his touch. She kissed him, wanting this.

Nolan pressed her back against the pillows, his hands lightly kneading her flesh as they kissed. He felt Emily's hands on his naked back, and shuddered as she drew her nails across him. He liked a bit of pain to mingle with his pleasures, but tonight he was determined to be gentle with Emily. He dipped his head, breaking their kiss, but his lips moved to her jawline and then to her throat. He dragged his teeth along her neck but he did not bite; she was too new to test in that way.

Nolan shifted against her, moving lower to taste her shoulder, the hollow of her collarbones, and then, her breasts. His hands remained on her at all times, even as he kissed and licked at her chest, one hand was in her hair, while the other had snaked lower to stroke her inner thigh.

Emily was writhing against him, biting her lower lip to keep herself from moaning even as she unconsciously lifted her legs to wrap about his waist. She drew in a sharp breath as the hand on her thigh slid to her hip and pulled at the lace there. Nolan lifted his head and met her eyes, asking silent permission to remove this, her last scrap of armor against him.

He knelt back to draw it down her legs, carelessly tossing it over his shoulder to land on the floor. He looked back to Emily, she was laying very still. Still kneeling beside her, Nolan put his hand on her knee. "Are you all right with this?"

Emily looked back at him and nodded. She tried to move up, to kiss him, but Nolan pressed her back, to keep her lying beneath him. He moved over her, again kissing his way down from her mouth, to her throat and breasts. He moved lower still, kissing a trail down her stomach as his hands massaged her inner thighs, moving them apart so that he would have room to taste her-

Emily drew back, pulling away from him, "Nolan, don't-"

He moved up to sit on his knees before her. "What's the matter? You don't like it?"

Embarassed heat flooded Emily's neck and cheeks, "I just - mmm, no one ever..."

He blinked in genuine surprise. "Never? Not once?"

Looking at her before him, naked, vulnerable, so beautiful and so damn tempting, he had to know how her past lovers had refused her that pleasure, how could any man have resisted tasting her?

Emily shook her head shyly, "No."

He nodded, understanding that this would be a first for her, and his responsibility. "Lay back."

"I..."

"Ems, do you trust me?"

He knew the answer, of course. They had not known each other long, but Emily would not be there with him, in his home, in his bed, if she hadn't placed her trust in his hands.

"Yes."

"Then lay back."

Swallowing down her nerves, Emily did as he told her, shifting back, timidly spreading her legs to make room for him as he returned to the cradle of her thighs. He liked this, that she was unsure of herself. She had only ever been confident before him, but for that one night when she'd tried to impress him by downing whiskey. His eyes remained steady on hers, this time a silent bid for her trust.

He moved further down, looking away from her eyes, and was the first to give Emily a kiss between her legs.

The woman tensed beneath him, her hands bunching in the folds on the blanket. Nolan did not stop to ask her further permission or reassure her: he was determined to give her this, to pleasure her, to prove himself a man.

Emily willed herself to relax, to let herself enjoy this, this odd feeling of a man's lips and tongue stroking her sex. She closed her eyes, sinking into a warmth that was spreading throughout her body. His hands were stroking her inner thighs, alternately caressing and kneading the muscles as his mouth played her. A coil of heat was twisting inside of her, drawing her closer to the edge.

Nolan hummed against her flesh, causing Emily to cry out despite her shyness in this act. The man pulled away just before the release could come over her.

"Nolan, why-?"

He laughed darkly, "You're not having all the fun tonight, Ems."

Nolan was quick in stripping off his boxer briefs and then wordlessly slipping on a condom. The time for words had passed; the man moved over her, brushing against her, so hot and so wet with want. Breathing hard, Nolan moved into her, slowly, slowly, she was tight and, he sensed, inexperienced. He couldn't indulge the dark urge that simmered in his mind, to snap his hips forward, fast and hard, to hurt her, to grind her down into the mattress...

Emily lifted her legs to twine about his waist, allowing him to move deeper into her body. At her granting access, he came into her fully, and rested a moment. He hovered over her, looking down to where their bodies joined before looking at her. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, kissing him, her hands smoothing over his arms and chest. She touched his hair, smoothing it back from his face, though it immediately fell forward once more, and they laughed together for a moment.

Nolan moved then, back, then forward, again, again, and again.

Emily lifted her hips to meet his, welcoming his body into her own as he thrust forward, building, building, until they tensed together in a shared moment of release.

Nolan held her until her breathing slowed, then withdrew from her body. He kissed her shoulder, "I'll be right back."

Nolan left the bed and went into the bathroom, discreetly disposing of the condom. He splashed his face with water to cool off, then wet a washcloth and returned to the bed.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked.

Nolan shook his head and drew her legs apart, dabbing at her thighs, her sex, stroking away the evidence of her release. It was satisfying to him, to know that he'd pleased her, and to tend to her afterward. Emily was breathing deeply, but she was far from sleep. Nolan returned to the bed once again, drawing her to him. She laid her head on his chest, and he stroked her back.

"How do you feel?"

Emily smiled against him, "I feel fine. Nolan, I had never..."

She could feel him freeze, "Ems, you weren't...I mean, were you a virgin?"

The concern in his voice was clear, she adored him for it. "No. I mean, I didn't make the most of college in that way, but I wasn't a virgin. You treated me like one, though."

He resumed stroking her, "How do you mean?"

She curled closer to him, "I mean, thank you for being careful. You're very considerate."

Nolan smiled, and closed his eyes. A man could only fight the pull of sleep after passion for so long. "Well, I always try to be polite."

After his last words, they said no more. Nolan went on stroking Emily until sleep took them both.


	12. Chapter 12

Emily opened her eyes, taking in the sight of an unfamiliar nightstand and the lamp atop it. Her mind was sluggish, still fatigued from a late night of champagne and-

"Mmph."

Nolan.

Emily blinked, coming awake fully, everything from the night before returning to her with full force and clarity. She furrowed her brow and lifted her head, turning to look over her shoulder.

Nolan was there, sprawled just beside her in all his mussed, inelegant glory. Laying on his stomach, one of his long arms thrown over the dip of her waist.

She recalled the night before; his hands and lips over her body, his weight atop her. Heat crept up her chest and throat, she swallowed, suddenly robbed of her confidence.

The night before, she had been driven by her attraction to the man and, yes, emboldened by champagne. Now, she was just Emily, Emily in bed with a man. This had never happened to her before and she wasn't sure what to do.

Carefully, Emily shifted to face him, but she managed to keep his arm around her waist. She liked his warmth there. He had pleased her the night before, even going so far as to do what no one ever had. That had been...

Looking at him as he slept, Emily smiled to herself, proud to know that this man cared so much for her, but a part of her was truly terrified of the unknown: what would happen between them now, during the dreaded "morning after"?

Would Nolan ask her to leave, having immediately lost interest now that he'd had her?

She doubted it, but the trepidation was there all the same.

And her?

She didn't know what she should say or what she should do.

Should she wait for him to wake up? Should she go downstairs to cook him breakfast? Emily hated being so unsure of herself, especially when she knew Nolan's attraction to her stemmed from her confidence, her ability to surprise him.

Yes, she was usually confident, but no one was born knowing...

But then, an idea bloomed in her mind. Something silly, but surely so unexpected that, no matter what, Nolan would remember her.

* * *

Nolan stirred slowly, trying to ignore the subtle probing of the real world breaking through his sleep. This was the sleep he loved most: the deep, dark sleep of satisfaction and a body spent, the warmth of another so near-

He stirred, smiling lightly as he opened his eyes. Emily was sitting up, wrapped in a sheet and leaning over him, touching his hair.

"Mmm, a guy could get used to this," he muttered, reaching a hand up to stroke her waist. "Good morning, Ems."

Nolan shifted back, his hand moving from her waist to take her hand into his own. "Did you sleep all right?"

Emily gave him a soft smile, "I slept fine. What about you?"

Nolan shifted to sit up beside her. "Can't complain. Have you been awake very long?"

Emily kept smiling as she looked at him, and as he watched her face it seemed to him she was stifling laughter. "Long enough," she said.

Nolan narrowed his eyes, wondering,_ Long enough for...?_

But the man did not have to wonder for more than a moment as he noticed his reflection in the mirror above his dresser. Emily, cheeky, sly Emily, had twisted his hair into several tiny braids while he'd been sleeping and none the wiser.

Nolan looked at her and, helpless, Emily burst out laughing. A moment later and Nolan joined her. The man pulled her to him, bear-hugging her body and nuzzling into her neck.

This woman, so vivacious, so energetic, she made him feel lighter and brighter. Nolan kissed her forehead, then her cheek, before he strode from the bed, nude, to have a closer look at his braids. "There are easier ways to let me know it's time for a haircut."

With a bed sheet still wrapped about her shoulders to protect her modesty, Emily raised her brow at him. "Yes, but this was the most fun."

Nolan flopped back onto the bed beside her, stetching lazily. "Breakfast?"

She nodded, a worried look crossing her face. "All right, I'm sorry, what would you like?"

He shook his head, "No, you're not cooking and neither am I. I have a favorite spot for breakfast, you'll love it. Best eggs in the state."

Emily hesitated in her answer, which prompted Nolan to slide a hand up her thigh. "Unless you'd rather stay in...?"

* * *

Nolan stood on the dock, caught staring between two boats: one a large red sloop, the other a cat rig painted deep blue. Both were superb vessels, their owners having taken special pains to maintain them against the elements and the wear of time.

The man often came to the pier to decompress after long shifts at the Stowaway, but this was not his usual walk around the dock after work; it was barely midday, with the sun beating down over his head. Nolan didn't mind, he preferred it warm.

Looking to the tall sails of the boats before him, he again weighed his options and toyed with the idea of buying a boat. Jack had promised to teach him if he was serious about learning to sail.

Nolan closed his eyes, picturing himself on the blue cat rig, sailing out of the harbor, confident on the water as he was with codes, guiding the vessel through the waves, steering toward the horizon while Emily lounged on the deck, sunning herself in a red bikini or, even better, in the nude.

_That is, if she ever lets me near her again, I don't know what went wrong-_

"Daydreaming, Ross?"

Nolan started, turning to find Daniel Grayson standing only a few feet away, near the ramp that lead back up to the boardwalk. _Great, just what I need._ He thought in annoyance.

Daniel took a step closer, "What're you doing here?"

"I'm trying to decide what kind of boat to buy." Nolan told him in a rare moment of honesty. "Any advice?"

Daniel scowled at him, true disgust clear in his expression. "Whatever you get, sail it into an iceberg."

Nolan sighed, "We're here already? Come on, Danny, it's not even noon."

He had no wish to bicker with the younger man, not after the disappointing morning with Emily and all of the unanswered questions plaguing his mind.

Daniel nodded, spreading his arms to encompass their surroundings, "Yes, we're here. I'm here, because this is home, this is where I belong. You're just a parasite."

Nolan narrowed his eyes. "That word is too big for you, so you must have overheard it from Daddy Grayson. Let me guess, he's still bitter about that whole copyright lawsuit thing?"

"You're just so sure of everything, aren't you?"

"Confident that Grayson Global is all out of original ideas?" Nolan asked the question, then answered himself. "I'd say so. You're in line to take over and you're recycling his insults against me."

"I didn't follow you here to talk business."

"Then enlighten me, spaniel, I have better things to do with my time." Nolan said. True anger was rising within him, the anger that burned hot within and had him curling his hands into fists, almost wishing for a fight.

"I came to talk about Emily."

Nolan raised his brows, "What about her?"

"I saw you leave the party with her last night and I saw you take her home this morning." Daniel said, "Whatever you've got going on with her, it's over. Do you understand me? Stay away from her."

"Don't tell me you came down here just because I've been seeing the girl next door?" Nolan groused.

He and Daniel had had..._disagreements_ in the past, but none over a woman. Things were beginning to made sense to him, but he'd be damned if he'd step aside from Emily now. They had left too much unsaid, and she was a woman worth fighting for.

Clearly, Daniel agreed.

Daniel stepped in closer, his body tensing. Reflexively, Nolan took a step back to keep distance between them. Stupid, so stupid of him to have provoked this, but his mouth had a mind of is own, and often got the rest of him in trouble for it. Yet his anger was driving him now, and he was past caring.

The first strike, Nolan dodged, and surprised Daniel by landing a punch of his own to the younger man's jaw. Daniel tried again, his fist finding Nolan's cheek this time.

"You think you're one of us just because you got some money? Think again, freak." Daniel taunted him as another hit to the solar plexus brought Nolan to his knees. "I remember you. It can't be more than a couple years ago that we beat your ass for hitting on my roommate – what, you think that now you have a few bucks in your pocket you think you can hit on my girl?"

"She's not your girl." Nolan said, glaring up at Daniel.

He was hurt, yes, but he'd be damned if let let Daniel think he'd won anything. Already he was planning his payback, and the demand of an explanation from Emily the next time he saw her.

Daniel shook his head, "She was, and she will be again. She's out of your league, Ross. You should've stayed at the Stowaway where you belong."

Nolan lunged up, catching Daniel off-guard. The fight went on, both men refusing to back down, until dock security and Jack could pull them apart.


	13. Chapter 13

It had not been an easy thing to separate the men, both of them driven to violence by a mix of long-held anger and a new, base reason to come to blows: Emily. Daniel Grayson abhorred the knowledge that Nolan had charmed his way into Emily's life, and worse, that she was taken by the man.

And Nolan?

Nolan would explain himself as soon as he had calmed down and ceased pacing a track into the rustic wood flooring of The Stowaway. Jack had been so shocked to see men fighting on the docks that for a moment he'd simply stood and watched before the realization had dawned on him that the men fighting on the docks were Daniel Grayson and his own Nolan Ross.

Even more shocking was that Nolan resisted Jack's interference to the point that Jack was forced to drag Nolan away, up the pier to the safe base of the Stowaway, while boardwalk security dealt with Daniel.

After shoving a struggling Nolan over the threshold and into the bar, Jack stood in the doorway to keep him inside, and waited for the other man to settle. It was jarring to see Nolan in such a state, bruised and bloody, his eyes wild, and his body so tense that Jack thought Nolan might try pushing past him to get at Daniel all over again.

_This is insane, what the hell happened between them?_

Jack locked the door, essentially trapping Nolan inside with him, before moving behind the bar to seek out a first aid kit. They had never needed it before, it felt surreal to have to use its contents on Nolan Ross for a dock brawl, of all things.

Still breathing hard, Nolan had at least calmed down enough to move to the bar and speak like a civilized man, not the fighting dog he'd been only minutes before.

Jack packed ice from behind the bar into a clean towel and handed it to Nolan, who then pressed the improvised pack to the darkening bruise just under his left eye.

"So you wanna tell me what the hell that was all about?" Jack finally demanded, breaking the heavy silence.

His words sparked a change in Nolan, bringing back the man Jack knew so well. Nolan smirked, wincing slightly, and shrugged, "What, a couple guys can't have a fight on the docks in the middle of the day without being grilled for it?"

"Nolan, be serious for a minute." Jack urged him. "What happened out there?"

The man before him stretched his shoulders, then obscenely cracked his neck, a thing he knew Jack couldn't stand. Nolan took a deep breath, reminding himself that he was in a safe place and that Jack was his friend. "Daniel said...well, apparently he wasn't thrilled to find out that I had the girl next door over for a sleepover last night."

Jack raised a brow at him, "Are you looking for a 'congratulations'?"

Nolan removed the ice pack from his cheek and touched his face, gently probing the damage and wincing again, irritated. "Hold off on that, things got weird this morning. We were still at my house, about to go out to breakfast, but I said the wrong thing, and she asked me to take her home. Long story short, I came out to look at the boats and the next thing I know Daniel shows up...I need to talk to Emily." Nolan finished, his mind already racing.

This was not how he expected this day to go. This was the day after taking such an important step with Emily, and if things had been right in the world, they would still be together in his home - either as a heated tangle of limbs in bed or cuddling before a film. He would have preferred either scenario, and desperately hoped he would have the chance for either one to be more than just a daydream.

Jack furrowed his brow. "She hasn't been, you know, seeing him at the same time she's been seeing you, right?"

Nolan gritted his teeth, everything inside of him screaming _**No!**_

"I guess I'll find out when I talk to her." He said stonily.

Nolan thought for a moment, but then asked, "Jack...did you see Daniel?"

Shuffling through the bar's first aid kit, Jack took out a tube of antibiotic ointment and a bandage for Nolan's knuckles. He must have hit Daniel's teeth at some point on the docks.

"I - yeah, I saw, what about him?" He asked distractedly, taking Nolan's hand and dabbing at the cuts.

"If you and the security guys hadn't pulled us apart, do you think I would've stood a chance?"

Jack looked up, but he saw in Nolan's bruised expression a certain yearning, a kind of hope that, even with all his inexperience and weakness, someone believed that he could win.

He gave Nolan a lop-sided smile, feeling like a father reassuring his son. "Nolan, I think if we hadn't pulled you two apart, you would have wrecked him. I didn't think you had it in you, but I don't want to see you fighting again."

Jack was sincere: over their years together, he'd grown to love and depend on Nolan's sweet nature; seeing the other man capable of real violence was jarring.

Nolan nodded, flexing his now bandaged hand. "Will do. Even if I got the upper hand for once, that wasn't fun for me. Besides, I'm too old to be fighting. I had the chance for that in my teens and 20s, but Emily was worth it today."

Jack put the first aid kit away and handed Nolan an icy cola - the last thing that needed to be introduced now was alcohol. "So what happens now? You can't fight Daniel every time you see each other."

Nolan nodded, sipping. "Somehow I think that will get me banned from more guest lists...or maybe it'll get me more invitations, who can say with these people?" He shook his head, again cracking his joints and ignoring Jack's repulsed grimace. "I'll deal with Daniel later, maybe slip a virus into the Grayson Global network for starters. But for now I'll be paying off the security guys to make sure this little scuffle stays out of the news, erase anything that got picked up on the boardwalk cameras and then I'm buying the cat rig I was looking at before he interrupted me."

Across the bar, Jack raised a brow at his friend's "to-do list", the mentions of bribery, surveillance tampering and corporate espionage running off Nolan's tongue with casual ease.

"You think the security guards will tell the news? How do you know they haven't done that already?"

Nolan took out his cell phone, frowning to see a new crack running across the screen. Quickly, he scrolled through and was satisfied to see there was nothing out of the ordinary when he entered his name into a Google search. "Nothing in the media yet, and I'm sure they figure I'll pay more than any tabloid will, so it's only a matter of time before they come to me with some thinly-veiled list of favors." Nolan said dismissively, his train of thought already having jumped to the next thing that needed doing: getting access to the security cameras that lined the dock.

Jack, however, was still marveling at yet another new aspect of his friend's life and he had to wonder if he even really knew the man at all.

"Something tells me you've done this before."

Nolan nodded, "You wouldn't be wrong."

* * *

As Nolan began his plotting with Jack at the bar, Emily was alone at the beach house, alone with her anxieties. She had cut the morning short, asking that Nolan take her home rather than stay with him through what he promised would have been the best eggs she'd ever had.

She would explain herself to him, she'd promised, as soon as she could. The last thing she wanted was for Nolan to blame himself for her sudden change of heart. It was her fault; Emily was beginning to wonder if she wouldn't always end as the victim of her own impetuous nature.

_Why did I leave? What's the matter with me?_

She looked up, startled out of her thoughts by the impatient knocking at the front door. The woman hustled downstairs, expecting Nolan and immediately irritated to find Daniel on her doorstep instead.

Trepidation knotted her stomach in an instant: she had been avoiding him for months, though of course her efforts had had little success in the Hamptons when not only were they on all the same guest lists, but the man in question lived next door.

So anxious at being caught off-guard by him in her home, Emily didn't even think to ask after the bruises on his face or why his sleeve had been ripped at the shoulder seam.

"Daniel, I - what are you doing here?"

Daniel stepped past her, his eyes roaming this space, the little house down the shore. Over the years he had been curious about the place, often wondering what it looked like on the inside, and often wondering why it was that this house, so tiny compared to the manor his mother was constantly expanding, seemed to be so much richer, so much fuller than the place he called home.

He shrugged, turning back to Emily. "Well, I was coming home and I figured it was finally time for me to come over and say hello in person. We keep going to the same parties and the same restaurants but we haven't talked since that mixer at school."

She stood before him, the front door still wide open just behind her. She didn't intend for him to stay for long.

"Yes and if I haven't made it clear, I would prefer to keep it that way."

Daniel tried to smile, but kept his lips closed. He had chipped a tooth on one of Nolan's bony fists. _Bastard_.

"Come on Emily, give me a chance."

She raised her brows, steeling herself. She didn't want this, a rehash of what had happened between them. It was a waste of time and she didn't need the stress, not now, not now when she wanted to be alone to think on her feelings for Nolan.

Daniel was nothing to her now, she just wanted him gone.

"You had your chance at school and you blew it. I might live next door to you now but don't be fooled into thinking I want to be close again."

"You've been seeing a lot of Nolan Ross." He said.

"You're keeping tabs?"

Daniel shook his head. "Just taking notice of what everyone is already talking about. You two have been out to dinner a few times, and you left the party with him last night."

Emily rolled her eyes with an irritated huff, "Fantastic, you know how much I love gossip."

"He's not like us, Emily." Daniel pressed. "He came up poor and he's been trying to fit into the right circles for years, but he's from a different world and he'll never be anything but an outsider to the rest of us."

"And that's exactly the reason I like him." She defended, making her dislike of Daniel and his "world" perfectly clear.

Despite his intent, Daniel rolled his eyes back, mocking her. "Oh yeah? Let me guess, he pulled you in with all of his low class charm? Some story about hard work and perseverance? We've all heard that one before, and trust me, it's his favorite pick-up line."

"What do you mean?"

Daniel stepped closer and took hold of Emily's upper arm, holding her to make sure she heard his every word. "I mean that freak is a hustler. It wasn't but a few years ago that he was hitting on my roommate. He used to work the docks…how do you think he really got the investments for his business?"

Emily pulled from him, "You're disgusting!"

Daniel released his hold on Emily but he stayed in close, fed up with the obvious care she had for the odd man. "What's disgusting is that freak sniffing around for my sloppy seconds-"

Before she even knew what she had done, Emily had lashed out, slapping Daniel as hard as she could. Later, she would congratulate herself for the strike and how she kept her voice level when she ordered him away from her.

"Get out of my house, Daniel. Don't ever come near me again."

Rattled from the slap, and knowing that the line had been crossed, Daniel straightened to his full height. It was hopeless to pursue Emily now, anyone could see that. Quietly, Daniel left the Clarke house, disappointed in himself yet confident that he was successful in driving Emily and Nolan apart for good.


	14. Chapter 14

After filling in Jack on the morning's scuffle, Nolan was obliged to give a more carefully edited account of the fight to Declan, who had emerged from the storeroom with a crate-stacked dolly.

Being younger, Declan was more impressed than concerned to learned that Nolan Ross, he of the kind eyes and gentle nature, had held his own in a fight with Daniel Grayson. It made the day suddenly more interesting.

Neither Jack nor Declan cared too much for Daniel, as he often became rude to both them and the waitstaff when he was out for a night of slum drinking on the docks with his friends.

"So what happens now?" Declan asked, unknowingly mirroring Jack's question from minutes before.

Nolan shrugged and winced anew, recalling having dodged one of Daniel's punches, only to have it land on his arm rather than his face. "I'm going to check the video feed from the dock cameras, and then I'm going home to wait on a visit from the security guards."

Declan furrowed his brow, "What about Emily? I mean, are you going to tell her what happened?"

Again, Nolan shrugged. "One look at me and she'll put the pieces together. I do need to sit down with her, though. She's got some 'splaining to do."

Declan and Jack shared a quick look of concern, knowing that Nolan was taking a big step with this woman. As his friends, they could only hope she was worth it.

* * *

Later, when Nolan told them what had happened, the Porters thought their friend capable of accurately predicting the future. It was not two hours after he'd secured the video feed that his doorbell rang, and he opened up to find four men in security uniforms waiting to speak with him on the other side.

Nolan had done this dance before, the first time being with a bouncer back in his clubbing days, right after the launch of Nolcorp and his own fortune. It was not a skill he'd enjoyed learning, but nonetheless Nolan had learned how to handle such situations in a delicate way to provide for the people who approached him and ensure their loyalty.

In this case, he knew the men had not approached the Graysons yet and so had armed himself with the information to gain them as allies, and perhaps even as future friends.

Nolan sank down into the center of his sofa and spread his arms along its back. He had erased the video feed on the security cameras that had captured the fight, though he'd kept the footage for himself. After that, he'd had a sandwich. After lunch, he had wasted no time in pulling the employment records to find out who was working the docks that day and dug into the financial records and most recent searches from each man to get a better picture of what their price would be.

Every man had a price, even him, even both the Porters and even David Clarke, but it wasn't always about money. This was something the Graysons would never be able to understand.

Nolan looked at each man in turn, sizing them up with his icy eyes, readying himself. He wanted these strangers out of his house as soon as possible so that he could rest and ice his bruises. He and Emily would speak before the day was done, that much he knew, though whether it happened at his home or hers remained to be seen.

Clearing his throat, Nolan pointed the the man the furthest to his left, a fellow blonde with light brown eyes and a small scar on his chin. "Mr. Thomas, you're behind on the mortgage and the bills. $50,000 should get you all caught up and be a nice start to some savings. Maybe you should let your wife handle the finances from now on though. Just a thought." He winked at that last comment, keeping things light.

Next to him was a taller, more muscular black man. Nolan recognized a military past in the man's stiff posture. "Mr. Dean, you think that your kids will be better off in a private school. I play online chess with the Headmaster of New York Charter. I'll make a donation, your sons will be in by the fall semester, or by next summer if you want them to finish out middle school with their friends. He'll be in touch."

The next was a Hispanic man with a solid build; no wedding band on his finger yet, and there never would be if he and his fiancé couldn't put together a proper wedding with their meager funds. Nolan slipped a card out of his shirt pocket and held it out to him. "Mr. Rodriguez, take this card, call on Tuesday and ask to speak with Angela. I'll shoot her an e-mail, and I promise that you'll be able to give Maria the wedding of her dreams. Trust me on this, Angela is the best."

Nolan looked over the last of them, a brunette man, and likely the youngest in the room. From the information Nolan had pulled, the man had been Googling several universities in the state and also, regrettably, been declined on a few student loans applications. "And lastly, Mr. Sark. You want to go back to school. I didn't have the patience for it myself, but if earning a degree is your dream, name the school and the tuition is on me."

These men, good men, all of them, were his now.

They left, shuffling out of his house with the dazed realization that the problems that had plagued them for months were suddenly solved.

Nolan watched from the kitchen window as the men left his driveway, then filled a Ziploc bag with ice cubes and pressed it over his face. He was tired; with the harsh adrenaline spike of being attacked and holding his own in the fight, Nolan wasn't sure if he wanted to eat his whole kitchen or just sleep for the rest of the day.

He went into the guest bathroom, taking in the sight of the damage again. It wasn't too bad, all things considered: a darkening bruise under his left eye, a cut to his lip, another bruise on his shoulder, his knuckles had been sliced by Daniel's teeth, there was a bruise over his ribs and there just beside it, that first bruise gifted to him from David.

It would all heal, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Daniel assumed he was a man to take disrespect laying down - he had been, once. That time was over, and had been for years.

It was time Nolan reminded the Hamptons of that.

* * *

It was close into the evening when Nolan's doorbell rang yet again, the woman waiting on his answer being just the one he'd been hoping to see. Yes, he'd wanted to see her, but he wished that she'd texted to let him know she was on her way to visit.

After eating half the kitchen earlier in the day, he'd fallen asleep on the sofa. On waking at the sound of the bell, he'd rolled off the couch and ran to answer the door, so he must look worse than he thought as Emily exclaimed, "Nolan! My God, what happened?" the moment she saw him.

She, of course, meant his bruises rather than his messy hair and wrinkled shirt.

Nolan dismissed her concern as he stood aside to let her into the house. "Oh, nothing much. Boardroom meetings can be pretty brutal this time of year."

Unimpressed, Emily fixed him with a stern look. "Don't joke, tell me what happened."

Nolan gave her an equally stern look in return, a subtle assertion that he wasn't yet willing to discuss what had lead to the bruises marring his face. "Emily, leave it alone."

Pointless, really, as his warning only left her with more questions. He should have known better. Emily stepped in closer to him, reaching to touch his face, only enough to tilt his chin so that she could have a better look at the bruise that spread over his left cheekbone.

"Do you really think I'll do that?"

The stony expression, an unnatural thing, lifted from the man's face. He was only ever serious when it came to his company and the well-being of his employees. Emily, though, was changing that. He was serious about her.

He leaned into the hand that still tocuhed his face. It was all bittersweet but for the moment, he was happy to have her with him, even with the black cloud of the truth hovering on his conscience.

He sighed, turning his head and quickly kissing her open palm. "No. No, but it was worth a shot."

He stepped past her, heading to the kitchen to find something to offer his surprise visitor. He might have to get creative, seeing as he'd eaten his way through most of the groceries only hours before.

Emily watched him rifle through the refrigerator, sensing the tension in him and growing more worried with each second that passed in silence. "Nolan, please tell me what happened. Did you get mugged?"

"I'm starting to to wish I was." Nolan said blandly, turning back to her with the offer of a bottled water.

He could feel his stomach knotting in anxiety. There was no stopping it now, he refused to lie to her any longer, and he couldn't evade the rain of questions he knew were sure to come.

_The truth has to come out, she'll leave, it'll all be ruined...but after everything, she deserves to know the truth about me. _

"What do you mean?"

Nolan looked down at the cold bottle of water in his hand and turned it over a few times, full of questions for her, but he knew that his secret could trump any of hers.

"Emily, I think you've figured out that I have a habit of snooping but for you I wanted to respect your privacy." He raised his eyes to her then. "But when your past comes at me in the middle of the day, I have to ask you now just what is going on between you and Daniel Grayson?"

"Daniel did this to you?"

_So that's why he came to the house, why he said those horrible things. _

A streak of rage woke within Emily, to know that it was Daniel, _Daniel_, who had attacked her Nolan. And why? Just what the hell did that idiot think he could accomplish by hurting the man she cared for?

And she did care for him, so much. She was just scared.

Nolan set her water on the counter and moved into the open space of the living room. It was petulant to brag about his prowess as a fighter, especially as his life's experience amounted to what went down on the docks, but he couldn't stand to have Emily think that he'd been attacked and incapable of raising a hand to defend himself.

He flicked his hand, making the gesture of dusting dirt off his shoulder. "This isn't too bad, you should have seen the other guy."

"I did see him." Emily told him quietly.

Nolan stilled at what she said. "You saw Daniel? When?"

"It was earlier today, he came over and..." She hesitated.

"Yes?" He prompted.

She shook her head. "It was nothing. He just came over...I saw his face was bruised but I didn't think to say anything. You fought each other? Nolan, I never would have thought-"

"Yeah, me neither." He confessed.

He'd imagined wiping that smug, entitled smile from Daniel's face many times, but to stand in the aftermath of that reality - having to explain himself to his friends, erasing the evidence so Daniel could not use it against him, making the effort to gain the loyalty of the security guards - was all very strange to him. Surely this wasn't how other men handled a fight over a woman?

"You want the details? I'll go first and then you can tell me your story." Nolan offered. He was being polite, in his way, putting off the pressure on Emily to tell him about her past with Daniel.

Still, he had his own secret that he wanted to stall in sharing, so he wasn't too proud of himself on that count.

Emily nodded her agreement, eager to hear his account of the fight despite herself.

The man cleared his throat, "Not a lot to tell, really. After I took you home I went to the docks to look at a couple of boats and Daniel showed up. We had a few words and then he came at me." Nolan paused to share with her a quick, sly smile. "I think I've proven to you that I'm a lover, not a fighter. Give me the choice and I'll take a date over a death match any day, but you saw Daniel. Turns out that I can hold my own when I have to. We went at it for a while before security came and broke it up."

"Were you fighting about me?"

Nolan stepped forward and took her hand. "It started off being about you but Daniel didn't need an excuse, he's hated my guts for a few years already. I'm 'new money', remember? He doesn't like having to share his Hamptons with me."

"Nolan, I'm so sorry." Emily hugged him and was relieved to feel his arms come around her. "I hadn't thought he would go after you."

Nolan bent his head and kissed her temple. "It's your turn, Ems. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, if you would be so kind." He urged her words, not because he particularly cared what had went on between them, he only wanted to quiet the doubts that Jack had stirred in him with the question of whether or not Emily and Daniel were finished.

Emily moved to sit on the arm of his sofa, taking a deep breath before explaining herself. "Daniel and I have a past, you know that. It was back at school. We had gotten to know each other over the last two semesters, and I...Nolan, I had been a virgin before Daniel. But it was a mistake, us being together. We had been fighting before this party, but we started drinking and...and it wasn't the way I'd thought it would be. We didn't talk about it, we left it all unfinished. It was my fault, I should have told you. Nolan, I'm sorry. He came to the house today to...I don't know, warn me away from you."

He had suspected as much, a bad break-up of college sweethearts, but Nolan felt cold dread creep up his spine at what Daniel might have said to poison her against him. "He warned you...and what, uh, what did he tell you about me?"

"Just to stay away. He said something about you being on the docks a few years ago-"

Nolan rounded on her, his temper flaring as memories of that night, the worst night of his life, came over him. "Oh, I'll just bet he did! What did he say? Tell me!"

Emily raised her brows at him, surprised. "Nolan!"

He quickley calmed himself, embarassed to have raised his voice at her. It wasn't Emily he was upset with, it was Daniel and the memory of a night spent in pain, fear and shame.

When he spoke again, his voice was relaxed once more. "I'm sorry, Ems. Really, I'm sorry. I just...please, tell me what he said and I'll tell you what really happened that night."

Emily watched his face, returned now to its earnest expression. Nolan was a gentle soul, but Emily had seen it just then, that even the softest among them could have a moment of anger and, when under intense pressure, be driven to violence. She tried to ignore the jump in her pulse at seeing him that way, the spark of arousal he'd brought forth in her by showing a flash of danger.

"He said that a few years ago you were...you know, _working_ the docks."

At that twisted retelling of the night he'd first encountered violence with Daniel Grayson, Nolan couldn't help but to allow himself a bitter smile and a sick laugh. "So I'm, what, I'm the gay hooker of the Hamptons now? Daniel really shot for the moon with that story."

"What really happened that night?"

Nolan went still and quiet, sweeping a nervous hand over his face. This was it; he had no choice but to tell her the truth, no matter the outcome. She deserved the truth, and she'd deserved it before he'd taken her to bed the night before. That had been his failing, and he hoped it wouldn't cost him this new happiness.

It had been different when he'd told Jack. They had known each other for years, more family than friends, and of course, they had never been involved on such an intimate level. Jack's loss, as far as Nolan was concerned.

Emily may not reject what he was, but she may reject him for keeping the truth from her.

He took a deep breath, unsure of how to start. "I...Emily, this isn't how I wanted to tell you..."

Emily's eyes widened, recalling both Daniel and Ashley's suspicions about the man, her mind jumping to the irrational thought that Nolan was indeed, a full homosexual, and perhaps had only been using her as an experiment the night before.

"You're not, I mean, you can't be gay." She blurted. Her cheeks heated, thinking of how he'd asked for her trust, how she'd given it, and how he'd tended to her after it was done. "Not after last night."

Nolan felt anxious heat rise over his skin, a wash of embarrassment flooding over his face, throat and chest. All he wanted was to lie his way out of this, or kiss Emily into submission. He did neither; instead he tried for the brave thing, and told Emily a truth he'd only shared with those closest to him.

"No, I'm not gay. I'm...I'm a - I'm bi."

With the words out, a sudden relief came over him. There, the truth was out, and so was he. The dark cloud hanging over him was lifted. The world didn't end, and Emily didn't scream or recoil in disgust.

If anything, her eyes grew warmer with an understanding that he'd seen only once, when he'd been left with no choice but to tell Jack.

She stood up and stepped close to him, offering her hand. Nolan took it, but he was still wary.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

"I don't know. I just...I didn't know how to bring it up and I wasn't sure if you would still want...Emily, I'm sorry."

Emily shook her head and reached up to sweep the hair from his eyes, "Nolan, I understand. Even now, it's not always an easy thing to talk about. And I can see how hard it was on you to tell me, so thank you for trusting me. But what happened that night?"

Nolan groaned lightly. He hated that night more than any other, but he had to relive it now, it was the cost of being honest. "All right, well, first thing's first. Obviously, I wasn't working the docks, I wasn't doing anything. I was just out there trying to relax during a late shift at the bar, that's all. One of Daniel's friends, I guess it was his roommate at the time, he and I got to talking whenever he would come up to the counter to get another round for the group. We were flirting, just a little. Anyway, I left for my final break before we closed up for the night. He followed me out there and we started talking, then he kissed me. Daniel and the others found us out there and the guy I was with turned on me, accused me of coming onto him and trying to steal his wallet."

Emily tightened her hold on him, "That lying little - Nolan, your scar?"

Again, Emily was so quick to make the connection. She reached around him, laying her hand over the scar spanning his back through the material of his shirt, and she could only ask herself: How? How could she have given herself to Daniel, when he had done something so horrible?

He bent his head, pressing his cheek to hers. "One of them pushed me into a dock post and I hit an exposed nail. It cut down my back when I fell. Jack came outside and helped to break things up. I was bleeding...he had to take me to the hospital. Declan was barely more than a kid at the time, he thought it was just my big mouth that lead to them attacking me. Jack knew that there was more to it, so I had to come clean."

"Did you feel better after he knew?" She asked him.

Holding each other, they started to sway, almost as if dancing there in his living room.

"I...it didn't change things after I told him. He was still the same old Jack to me and I was still the same old Nolan to him. When he found out, it didn't change a thing."

"Then why were you so afraid to tell me?"

"Because Jack was the only one I've ever told. Declan, well, Jack explained it to him but I don't know what he said."

Emily furrowed her brows, "You mean your family doesn't..?"

Shrugging, Nolan shook his head. "They're few and far between, Ems. It's just me, but I know you can understand why I don't let many people in."

Emily hugged him tight. "I understand. And I'm so sorry that happened to you."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. I should have let you know before-"

Emily shook her head, cutting him off. "I don't care about that. I care about you. Don't you care about me?"

Nolan held her eyes with his own. "From the very first day."

Both pairs of eyes slipped closed as Emily leaned forward and kissed him, just so relieved that things were now clear between them. An idea occurred to her then.

"There's only one thing left to argue about."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

Emily smiled at him, her voice all faux innocence. "Just how exactly how are we going to get back at Daniel?"

Nolan saw it, that sly spark of mischief in her eyes, and he knew he would be helpless to resist.


End file.
